My Fatal Reality
by sensitive touchdown
Summary: Sora lives a lonely life, accompanied by his teddy bear Luca and guided by his Shadow. However, things are destinied to change, when Riku comes into Sora's life. [AU, Shounen ai, RxS]
1. Icy Love

**My Fatal Reality**

**About the story** – Yea, I don't know why, but somehow I found myself writing a new fiction about Kingdom Hearts. The **pairings** are RikuxSora ?xSora, and many more. So if you don't like **shounen-ai**/**yaoi**, please don't read any further. **Bad grammar, angst, Sora- torturing, angst, dark themes, angst** and of course, **boy loving another boy** Oh yeah, and did I mention **angst**? This was first supposed to be DNAngel fic... But… I feel like writing KH stuff ;P

Oh yeah, also mild **Kairi-bashing**.

**Disclaimer** – I do not own Kingdom Hearts.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Prologue

There he was again, sitting in his corner, his emotionless eyes staring at the blank wall. His world was surrounded with emptiness and despair. Our reality wasn't his reality anymore. His universe was created by himself, as he tried to smother the pain scorching in his heart.

He reached his hand out to touch the cold surface of the wall. He smiled to the shadow, which slowly parted from the wall and tied its arms around his body. The Shadow buried his head to his spiky brown hair, while sharing the coldness of its body with the boy. The Shadow made him feel loved, and tear himself even farther away from which is right.

"Don't worry Sora…" The Shadow whispered into its replica's ear, "…I'll always be here… You're not alone."

Sora smiled faintly, and returned the hug. Despite the coldness of the embrace, he felt that he belonged somewhere. He didn't feel alone. He knew that his shadow would follow him, wherever he'd go.

"I'm… not alone."

The shadow smiled and held its light even closer to its chest, "That's right. Don't be afraid. Let me be your Darkness. Let me be with you, only you."

"I… I love you." Sora mumbled quietly, and closed his bright blue eyes. The Shadow placed a gentle, yet cold kiss on the brunette's forehead. Sora looked up into those yellow eyes, "Why your touch is so cold?"

"Because…" The Shadow said quietly, running his fingertips on Sora's silky cheek, "…Your touch is simply too warm…"

"Promise you'll always be with me." Sora inhaled deep breath of the cold scent of the Shadow, which leaned downer towards Sora's lips and whispering a silent reply, his lips nearly touching Sora's.

"I promise."

(A/N: I know I keep calling the Shadow 'it', because it's not really human or animal or anything of the sort…)

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Chapter 01 – Icy Love

Cold morning sunlight shone through parted curtains, hitting roughly against Sora's face. The alarm clock rang, and he absently slammed it, to quiet it down. He didn't want to wake up yet. He wasn't ready to face the tomorrow yet. No, not yet… "…Only ten more minutes…"

But slowly he got out of the bed, yawning widely and stretching his arms. "Good morning Luca." He smiled to his brown and ragged teddy bear, before grabbing it from the bed and walking to a closet with it.

"It's a beautiful day today… I wonder what I should wear…" Sora said as he searched through his clothes, trying to find something decent to wear. He placed his teddy bear sit on the floor, as he kept looking for clothes.

After a while, he had found grey jeans and baby blue shirt, which fit perfectly with his eyes, and a loose white hooded jacket. He stared at them for a while, before turning his head towards Luca.

"What do you say?" Sora asked his teddy bear, "Should I wear these?" He looked at Luca, who nodded his head. He smiled and dressed up quickly.

He looked around his large room, and searched his schoolbook with his gaze. He collected all of them into his bag and lifted Luca from the floor, "Oh, nearly forgot to brush my teeth! Thank you of reminding me Luca!"

Sora ran to his own little bathroom and grabbed his toothbrush. As he was brushing his teeth, he looked up at the mirror, his reflection staring right back at him. Everyone else said that Sora's eyes looked hollow and distant… But to him, they were just the same as they used to. Nothing had ever changed through all these years of pain and loneliness.

Nothing ever changed to the better direction. There's no fairness in this world.

He frowned at his reflection, before throwing his toothbrush away and exiting the bathroom and his bedroom. The house he was living in was bigger than needed, and Sora had more money than any of his classmates together. He could get anything he wanted, yet… There was something missing.

He sighed, as he walked down a long corridor, past millions of empty and useless rooms, towards the stairs, which led to the downstairs.

"I wonder if I will see dad today…" Sora said to Luca, and held the bear closer to his chest.

Sora and his father never had had a good relationship, ever since mother left them. Sora nearly never saw his father, and when he saw him, he never talked to him. Like he had been merely air, he walked past him, not even looking at his son. It was like Sora was a little piece of dirt, which easily wiped away.

"He has his reasons to hate me…" The brunette sighed, while walking down the stairs, made of marble, "…But I'll make him proud! I'll make him notice me! Someday… He wants me to be his son! Yeah!"

He giggled as he walked into a large dinner hall, where his breakfast was already waiting on the table. There was many servants living in the house, but they were always too busy with their work to talk with Sora. Not that he needed any of their company… Sometimes being alone is better than surrounded by friends and people who cared about you…

He sat by the table and looked at his meal. He shook his head and looked at Luca, "I'm not hungry… Do you wanna eat some before we head to the school, Luca?… Oh… I guess you aren't hungry either…"

Sora looked at his wrist watch and gasped, "Oh no! We're running late!" He said and jumped to his feet, yanking Luca after him.

"Ah, sir Sora!" One of the servants yelled from the kitchen door, and ran to Sora the fastest she could with her heel shoes, "Don't forget your lunch! I made some for Luca too!"

Sora smiled widely, and took a package from the brown-haired woman, "Thank you Aerith!"

"Hehe, you're welcome. Have fun at the school…" Aerith said, and leaned down to straighten Sora's shirt, "…There. Yeah, so like I said- have fun at the school and take good care of yourself and Luca."

Sora nodded his head, before turning around and walking towards the front door.

Aerith watched Sora push open the large wooden doors, and disappear into the cold autumn morning. She shook her head weakly and turned around, "I'm sorry Sora."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sora walked through the large gates, towards his school. Or more like, his Hell. He clutched Luca tighter to his chest, as he gathered the courage and strength to keep on walking, facing all of the despising glares and cruel words. Although he had vowed himself to never let those things pass through his barriers, sometimes there was just no antidote against the poisonous words.

The barriers were never strong enough. But still, his best protection was his smile, which never left his features.

"Hey, did you hear that there's new student coming to our class today?"

Sora turned to the direction of the voice and saw a brunette girl talking to her friends. The girl was Kairi. The most popular girl in the school, she always surrounded by her friends and her millions of boyfriends.

"Really? Why no one ever told us anything?" One of her friends chimed in. Kairi shrugged her shoulders and put her hands to her hips, giving her best smile to the ones who surrounded her.

"But I heard the new student is a boy. I hope a really good-looking too." She said, "I really need a new boyfriend… Axel's starting to get on my nerves… He's like daa!"

Sora bowed his head, before walking away. He and Axel used to be friends. But… times change. And so does the people. Even if you didn't want to, you can't stop the world changing you. The innocence will fade, leaving only pain and suffering.

"Oh, look who's there!" One of the Kairi's friends said. Sora could feel burning gazes on his back, as he tried to walk away the fastest he could.

"He's a freak… always carrying that ugly teddy bear with him… like, how old is he again?"

"That's right… And look at his clothes, I bet he's trying to be soooo cool today. Too bad those clothes were cool when my grandma was younger."

Kairi snickered, "No wonder he has no friends… Who'd ever want to befriend with someone like **him**." She snorted and started walking away, all of her friends following her.

Something painful filled Sora's heart. He looked down at the ground, his hands slowly dropping to his sides, his left hand holding Luca's hand tightly. No matter how many times he heard those same things, they always found a way to hurt him. Hearing the truth from other people mouths was just something he had never learned to tolerate.

Luca gave Sora concerned look, and the brunette shook his head, quickly wiping the tears, which were about to make their way down his cheek, "I'm okay Luca. Don't worry about me. I've learned to ignore them a long time ago."

He started walking towards the school building.

_Remember to smile Sora._

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"I can do it. I'm the best, and will probably be the sexiest guy in the school. So there's no need to panic…" A silver-haired man mumbled, as he played with his hair nervously, and stared out of a window of the car he was sitting in.

"Are you nervous?"

Riku looked at the other silver-haired man, who was sitting next to him, "Me? Never! I thought you knew me better than that Zexion… You are my brother after all."

Zexion rolled his eyes and kept his eyes locked on the road.

"Hmph. I'm never nervous." Riku said and folded his arms.

"But you are now."

"Am not."

"Are too. Hey- it's okay to be nervous. It's your first day at a new school." Zexion said as he braked next to a pavement, waiting for Riku to get out of the car, "Just remember to breathe and act cool. Girls will be all over you. Trust me."

Riku mumbled something, which sounded like 'yeah right', as he exited the car and slammed the door close with huge force. Zexion grinned and winked to his little brother, before driving away, leaving the annoyed Riku stand on the sidewalk.

"Damn Zexion… always talking as if he knows everything…" He growled, before turning around on his heels and eyeing his new school. It wasn't as bad as he had thought. Some girls walked past him and eyeing him from head to toe and giggling quietly. The silver-haired teen chuckled and started to walk the school, but not before giving the girls a sexy wink and making them all blush and giggle even more.

_Girls these days…_ He rolled his aqua-colored eyes. He thought that girls here would be even a little bit more interesting but noooo… they all were the same. Wearing those innocent smiles, only to hide those nasty and evil thoughts they were thinking.

He sighed, as he walked across the schoolyard, which was already empty. He was probably already late from his first class, but he didn't care. He could always tell them that he got lost.

When he entered the hall, he really felt like he was lost already. There were too many corridors and too many classrooms… He had no clue where to head next, "…Maybe I should find the principal's office first…"

He started to walk up the stairs, his footsteps echoing in the empty stairway. It was pretty obvious that this school was the school for the rich kiddies.

Eventually, Riku reached the end of the stairs, and the only way now was forward. He glanced at the doors, as he walked past them. Finally his eyes caught a small 'Principal's office' sign on one of the doors.

But before he could even knock on the door, it slammed open, revealing a young woman with black hair and blue jacket, which reached to her ankles. She stared at the silver-haired teen for a while, before smiling widely and clapping her hands, "Ohh, you're Riku, aren't you?"

"Yes ma'am…" Riku said, and frowned slightly.

"Hehe, thought so too! I'm Rinoa Heartily, this school's principal!" Rinoa giggled, like a high-school girl, holding her hand in front of her mouth, "Come in, come in, dear! I'll give you your timetable and other stuff!"

Rinoa jumped back into her office, followed by confused Riku.

Ten minutes later Riku stepped out of the principal's office, even more confused than he already were. He looked at his timetable and scratching his head absently.

"Oh yeah!" Rinoa opened the door and pointed towards the stairs, "Your first class is at the second floor, and the fifth door from the left! If you have anything you want to ask, you know that you'll always find me here, dear."

Riku nodded and grinned to the principal, "I'll be okay. Thank you."

"It's no problem!" Rinoa said, and disappeared back into her office.

Riku sighed and started to head towards the stairs. This was going to be the longest day of his life…

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

In the class, Sora sat in his usual spot, in the back of the class and near the corner. No one ever sat near him. Maybe it was a good thing… There was no one to give him negative feedback about his work or his appearance…

He watched his classmates, who all were talking to their friends, laughing, smiling… Sora looked down at Luca, which was sitting in his lap. He smiled and hugged his teddy bear.

Soon the class quieted down, when the teacher entered the room. Everyone settled down slowly, and finally it was quiet in the classroom.

The teacher hmph-ed and folded his arms, "As some of you might have already heard, there will be a new student coming to your class. I think he should be here every moment now…"

Kairi smiled widely and leaned towards her friend, to whisper something into her ear. They both turned to look at Sora, before snickering quietly and turning their attention back towards the teacher.

Sora sighed and tried his best to ignore the nasty looks. Why they just couldn't leave him be? He leaned his head on the surface of his desk and closed his eyes. The world around him started to fade as he slowly fell even deeper and deeper into his own thoughts…. His own world, where there was no pain, no loneliness… there was… nothing.

But the world filled, which with emptiness was better than the one, which was filled with endless misery and agony.

There was a loud knock on the door. The teacher walked to the door and opened it, smiling widely to the silver-haired teen.

Sora slowly lifted his head from the table, only to see the silver-haired angel walk into the classroom. His eyes widened, and his heart skipped beats. Quickly, he looked away from the silver-haired boy, who so gracefully walked in front of the class, the most perfect smile plastered on his lips.

"Now, Riku. Why don't you introduce yourself?" The teacher said, and leaned his back on the wall. Riku nodded his head and turned his head towards the class.

"Heya all. So my name is Riku. I moved here from… well, let's just say, far away. And I…" Riku let his gaze wander around the class, until he saw a brunette boy, sitting in the back of the class, his bright blue eyes staring at his lap. He gulped, trying to find his voice again, "…And I… I'm just me."

Kairi gasped loudly and covered her reddening cheeks with her hands, "Ohmigod… he's like sooo hot…" She said to her friends quietly, "I'll definitely ask him to go out with me…"

But Riku wasn't interested in the girls in the first row. He couldn't stop staring that shy spiky brown-haired boy.

Sora slowly lifted his head, to look back at Riku. He was surprised when those mysterious aqua-eyes were staring right back at him. He blinked and felt his cheeks burn. What was this weird feeling, which suddenly overwhelmed him? This was something… something that he had never before experienced.

The silver-haired teen smiled to the other one's reaction, and winked to Sora, before turning his head towards the teacher, "…So that pretty much sums it up."

The teacher nodded and walked towards Riku, offering his hand, "I'm Marluxia, your history teacher."

Riku took the history teacher's hand and shook it.

"You may sit wherever you want." Marluxia said and flung his hand towards the class absently, while making his way to his desk. Riku nodded and looked at Sora, who was now again leaning his forehead to the desk.

"You can sit next to me!" Kairi stood up and raised her hand, smiling the sweetest smile she could create on her lips. Riku glanced the brunette boy for the last time, before sitting next to the hyper girl, who kept smiling widely, "Hi, my name is Kairi!"

"It's… nice to meet you… I guess." Riku said rolling his eyes, and folding his arms above his chest. This girl was insane… already head over heals in love with him…

Sora looked at Riku's back, frowning deeply. He didn't know why, but seeing Riku there, sitting next to Kairi, made him feel… weird. He didn't know how to describe the stinging feeling in his heart, as he stared at the silver-haired perfection.

He pouted slightly, and looked at Luca, "This feeling is weird… I don't know what should I call it… it's not loneliness, pain or misery… It's something… new…"

Riku groaned, as Kairi kept talking about everything and anything. He regretted sitting next to the brunette girl… And he knew that he'd never ever do that mistake again. He looked over his shoulder at the brunette boy, and saw a small teddy bear sitting in his lap. He lifted his eyebrow and turned back to Kairi.

"Hey, Kai… Who's that?" Riku pointed Sora with his finger, "That brown-haired boy over there."

Kairi snorted and shrugged, "Ahh, he's Sora… A total freak. Always carrying that ugly bear with him. No one likes him… I recommend you to stay away from him too. I've heard that he's really… weird. He sometimes talks to his teddy bear too… that's like really childish, don't you think? Sometimes I just can't stand him… He's so timid and such!"

The silver-haired man frowned. Those were… pretty harsh words. He turned to look back at Sora, a small smile on his lips. Kairi also tilted his head towards the brunette, and snorted loudly, "Honestly Riku, if I were you I wouldn't even look at his direction."

"Kairi." Riku stated simply, his tone somewhat dangerous, "If I were **you** I'd shut that cute little mouth at this very moment."

The girl opened and closed her mouth, before hmph-ing and turning around, now trying to focus on the lesson. Her eyes were locked on the teacher, yet her mind was completely somewhere else. Twisted ideas and cruel plans ran through his mind, as he tried to come up with a new way to Riku to notice her.

Riku leaned his head on his palms, and started to listen the history teacher's endless rambling about the Second World War. Not that he really cared, but it was better than talk with Kairi. He just… didn't like her. Her attitude and appearance made him feel funny, and doubt if the girl really was as pure and innocent as she tried to claim she is.

Sora smiled faintly, and was now leaning his cheek on his desk. His hollow eyes were staring at the wall, at his shadow. It looked back at him, and smiled widely.

"_Don't worry Sora. I'll always be with you._" The shadow whispered before vanishing. Sora sighed and nodded his head. He wasn't alone, as long as his shadow kept following him. Even if the touch of the shadow was so cold, and the words hit his skin like ice daggers, he didn't care. As long as there was someone, or something, comforting him when he was feeling down.

He couldn't forget that night he had first met the Shadow. It wasn't too long ago… even if it felt like years. The days passed Sora so slowly. Yet still, he had sometimes problems to hold onto them. Sometimes, letting go just seemed so much easier.

And even if Shadow wasn't there, he always had had Luca. Sora looked down at the ragged teddy bear and smiled sweetly, "You and Shadow are my best friends ever… I don't need anyone else, as long as you stay by my side."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The school bell rang finally, marking the beginning of lunch break. Everyone dashed out of the classrooms, to meet their friends and eat the lunch.

Sora walked to the schoolyard, towards his secret spot, where he usually eats his lunch. It was a place, where he could avoid those despising glares. As he reached the place, he placed Luca on the ground and sat next to the bear, opening his bag and trying to find the lunch box.

"I'm sure I put it here…" He mumbled as he kept searching, but found nothing. He bit his lip and frowned thoughtfully, "…Aerith gave it to me and I swear I put it to my bag… Did you eat my lunch, Luca?"

But the bear hasn't eaten his lunch. Sora pouted and folded his arms, "I'm so hungry too… My stomach is growling…" He poked his stomach, which let out a faint growl.

He lied on his back on the grass and looked at the sun, which shone beautifully in the sky, bordered by pure white clouds. Few stray birds flew through the azure blue sky. Sora sighed and raised his hand in the air, like reaching out for the skies.

He stood up and stared at a tree in front of him. A wild idea came into his mind and he started climbing it, Luca on top of his head. He sat on a large bough, placing the brown teddy next to him. How many times he had sit there, and just stared at the sun? He couldn't tell, but this time it felt different. Usually he was happy that only Luca was sitting next to him… but this time it felt like something's missing.

The brunette boy shook his head and hugged his teddy bear, "I love only the Shadow and you… but then again… I don't know what is love. I don't know what it really feels like to be in love…"

He leaned his head on the tree and closed his eyes, still holding Luca close to his chest.

_Maybe someday… I'll understand._

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A/N: Review if you wanna read more. :P


	2. The Darkest Hour

**My Fatal Reality**

**About the story** – Yea, I don't know why, but somehow I found myself writing a new fiction about Kingdom Hearts. The **pairings** are RikuxSora?xSora, and many more. So if you don't like **shounen-ai**/**yaoi**, please don't read any further. **Bad grammar, angst, Sora- torturing, angst, dark themes, angst** and of course, **boy loving another boy** Oh yeah, and did I mention **angst**? This was first supposed to be DNAngel fic... But… I feel like writing KH stuff ;P

Oh yeah, also mild **Kairi-bashing**.

**Disclaimer** – I do not own Kingdom Hearts.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Chapter 02 – The Darkest Hour

Riku growled angrily, as Kairi kept following wherever he went. No matter how he tried to lead the girl astray, she somehow found him all over and over again. And now… well, he started to get really frustrated.

"Rikurikuriku, is it only me, or are you trying to get rid of me, huhuhuhuh?" Kairi smiled sweetly, as she grabbed Riku's arm. The silver-haired boy winced, like the touch of the brunette girl would've been poisonous. But Kairi just kept her hand around his arm, tightening her grip when Riku tried to run away once again.

The annoyed silver-haired boy faked a smile on his lips and choked, "O-of course I'm not trying to run away. That's just ridiculous!"

"I know it is! You're so silly Riku!" Kairi giggled and poked Riku's nose, who sweat-dropped.

"Could you let me go, please?"

"Ahh, Riku, don't be silly! I'll show you around!"

Riku rolled his eyes, and smiled to the other students, who gave very long glances to their direction. But Kairi just enjoyed all of the attention they got… Well, Riku could've enjoyed it too, if it wasn't Kairi who was dragging him around the school.

Then an idea came to Riku's mind, "Kairi, can you show me where the toilets are?"

"Okay!" The girl smiled and started to yank Riku down the corridor. The silver-haired teen let out loud groans and snorts, as Kairi just kept happily walking, completely ignoring Riku's little actions of resist, "Here it is!"

"Finally." Riku said and tried to pull his arm back, "You can let go offa me now…"

Kairi smiled innocently and let go off slowly. She took few steps backwards and leaned her back on the wall, "I'll wait right here."

Riku rolled his eyes once again, and opened the door of the toilet, and slammed it close with so much force that the wall around it shuddered. Kairi snickered silently, while tilting her head upwards to the ceiling. Riku will be hers in no time! She sighed heavily and slowly sitting on the floor.

She knew she had Axel already but… She couldn't help but feel jealous when she saw him with that blonde girl… The girl she used to call her best friend. Axel always said that they were only friends, but even a blind one could see that there was some kind of friction between them. It was a payback time. No one messed with Kairi's feelings.

And Riku was a perfect boy to help her to get her hers revenge.

"Ohh, I'm so evil." She giggled, putting hand above her mouth.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"FREEDOM!" Riku cried as finally managed to pull himself out of a small window in the toilet. Luckily, the toilet was in the first floor, so the fleeing was easy.

His feet hit the ground lightly, letting out a small 'thud' sound. He ran his hand through his hair, and inhaled a deep breath. Finally he was able to get rid of the annoying brunette. He wanted to let out the famous madman laugh, but managed to control himself. Still, a small group of snickers escaped his lips, as he started to walk towards a small forest-alike place near the edge of the schoolyard.

He whistled and shoved his hands into his pockets, while gazing up in the sky.

Suddenly he heard faint voices coming somewhere nearby. He scanned his surroundings, but couldn't see anything. He looked up and saw a familiar brunette boy sitting on a large branch of a cherry tree. It was blooming beautifully, and it's pink colored petals waving slightly with the gentle breeze.

But Riku wasn't interested in the pretty petals of the tree, but the boy who was sitting on one of those glorious branches.

"I'm hungry Luca… I know you didn't eat my lunch, silly…" Sora giggled and poked the teddy bear's stomach, "Hmm… That new boy who came to our class today…"

Riku immediately hid behind the tree, listening carefully what Sora said to his ragged teddy bear Luca.

"There's something weird about him… The way he makes me feel, I just don't know how to describe it… It feels like butterflies flying in my stomach. Hehe, yea it feels really funny, I know." Sora said thoughtfully, "I wonder if he's feeling the same way… He did give me few weird glances…"

Riku bit his lip to smother the laugh, which nearly escaped his lips. How could someone be so… so innocent and cute? Riku shook his head and quietly started to climb up the tree, carefully making sure that he didn't make even a tiniest voice.

"Yeah, I know Luca. It makes no sense."

The silver-haired man slowly started to approach the branch, Sora facing his back to him.

"I wish I had something to eat…" Sora, who was oblivious about the silver-haired boy behind his back, rubbed his stomach, which growled loudly. Riku nearly fell down from the tree, when he heard the angry growl of Sora's stomach.

The silver-haired teen jumped on the same branch, where Sora was sitting and sat right next to him. The brunette boy let out a shocked cry and pushed his back against the great cherry tree, holding his chest.

"Hello Sora."

Sora gasped, "R-r-r-ri-rik-riku!" He mumbled, tightening his grip on Luca, "H-ho-how l-long y-y-you've b-be-been lis-listening!"

Riku just chuckled gently, before leaning his back on the branch and folding his arms above his chest, "Nice place."

"Yes it is…" Sora said, still feeling a little bit awkward. He held Luca close to his chest and glanced shyly at Riku, who had his eyes closed. Somehow, it felt weird to sit there with Riku… yet it felt so… real.

"Oh yeah, oh yeah!" Riku said and sitting up quickly and opening his eyes, "I heard you forgot your lunch home or something? We can eat mine, since I have lots. My bro always packs lots of food with me, even though he knows that I don't usually eat much. Maybe it's because he believes that you can attract more girls if you have tasty food. He's really weird I know."

Sora tried to hide his giggle, "He's silly…" He replied shyly.

The silver-haired man chuckled as he pulled out a lunchbox from his bag and placed it in front of Sora, "Go ahead. Eat as much as you want. I'm not hungry."

"Really?" Sora asked, a small glimpse of light in his eyes.

Riku nodded his head, "Yes, eat it all if you wanna."

"But… I can't… Luca told me that it's rude to take anything from the strangers, if you don't have anything to give them in return." Sora said and bowed his head in shame, as he pushed the lunchbox back towards the silver-haired man, who laughed loudly.

"Luca? Your teddy bear?" Riku said as he leaned towards Sora, his eyes locked on the teddy bear, "Ahh, so this' Luca."

Sora blushed slightly and mumbled, "He thinks you're handsome. But he still doesn't want me to eat your lunch…"

Riku chuckled and poked Luca's stomach, before straightening his back, "Well, I can be more than just a stranger to you too, if you want to."

The brunette blushed even deeper and covered his cheeks with his hands, which caused Luca collapse on his lap, and nearly fall down of the tree. What was Riku thinking when he said that? Didn't he know who he was? The school's freak… who'd ever want to be friend with someone like… him?

Sora shook his head, and removed his hands from his cheeks and put them over his ears. That echo kept repeating in his mind… How could someone even think him as a friend?

"Something wrong, Sora?"

He gritted his teeth and bowed his head, feeling like his mind was going to blow apart. This was… too much for him to take. His mind screamed him to run away, but his heart told him to stay.

"I… I…" Sora mumbled, and suddenly jumped down from the tree and started to run away the fastest he could, leaving confused Riku behind. He grabbed his bag from the ground and dashed towards the school, "I'm so sorry!"

Riku stared Sora's back, as it soon disappeared into the school building. He sighed and shook his head. He just couldn't understand what he had done wrong… Maybe Sora was just… scared? He was so innocent, and probably had no experience of being in love, or anything of the sort. Or that's what he could tell from the earlier conversation with his teddy bear…

Even if the silver-haired boy couldn't stop thinking about Sora, he couldn't deny the fact that he **was** a little bit weird… talking to a lifeless toy and all. Yet, he could tell that there was something deeper… The story behind the brunette boy… he wanted to discover it. He wanted to know the truth. He wanted… to be with him.

Riku sighed, as he jumped down from the bough and landed elegantly on the ground.

This was just the beginning. He'd definitely make Sora his. He chuckled to his thoughts and shook his head. He really sounded like a real seme from all of those shounen- ai mangas…

The school bell rang, and he sighed heavily, while jogging towards the school building.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Finally the school day ended. Sora smiled widely as he walked through the corridors, gaining long and hatred filled glares, like always. But, somehow, it was easier to ignore those glances today. Maybe… maybe he had finally grown strong enough.

He walked out of the school gates, Luca sitting on top of his head. He was ready to head down the street, but suddenly he heard someone yell his name behind his back.

"Sora, yo! Sora, wait up!"

He turned around and saw Riku running to his direction, waving his hand happily. His face turned pale and Luca fell off his head. Not this feeling again… What… is this burning feeling? It was… like scorching his heart, while making him feel funny in the stomach.

"I thought that we could walk home together." Riku grinned and stopped right in front of the shocked brunette, who gulped, but nodded anyways. Sora picked up his teddy bear from the ground, and placed it back above his head.

They were just about to start walking, but a nagging voice stopped them.

"Riku! Riku!" Kairi cried as she ran to Riku, followed by her friends. The silver-haired man winced slightly, and gave a hopeless look to Sora. The brunette girl grabbed Riku's hand, "Riku, I thought you were gonna walk with me, but not with…" She frowned when she saw who Riku was with, "…Sora…"

The brunette turned to look at his shoes, making little nervous movements.

Riku rolled his eyes and yanked his hand free from Kairi's grip, "Give it a rest Kai. I promised Sora already, so bye bye. See ya tomorrow…"

"Hmph. Walking with that freak…" Kairi said and folded her arms angrily, staring at Sora, who accidentally happened to look back at her at that very moment, "What are you staring at, freak?"

The brunette quickly bowed his head again, and bit his lip. Riku groaned and stepped between Sora and Kairi, "I don't know what you have against Sora, but I'm through listening your whining. Let's go… Sora."

Riku took Sora's hand and started to walk down the street. Kairi turned to her friends, and her smile was beyond cruel. Even her friends started to get a little bit nervous. No one liked Kairi, when she got upset.

"This' starting to get really… interesting."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sora kept his head bowed all of the way. He hoped that Riku wouldn't get into any kind of trouble because of him… The way Riku talked to Kairi was brave and reckless. Maybe the silver-haired teen didn't know, who he was messing with…

"Don't worry about it too much." Riku said suddenly, placing his hand on Sora's shoulder, "I don't know why they say all those things about you, but I really think that you're okay."

"It's because…" Sora said quietly, "…Because I'm a freak."

"No you're not. They just can't stand someone being different, that's all. You shouldn't be ashamed of what you are." Riku said, nodding his head firmly, still keeping his hand on Sora's shoulder, "If you like the way you are now, then don't even try to change. Yet, if you don't… well, let the time fix it."

Sora looked at Riku, his bright blue eyes wide. But that only lasted for few seconds. Soon he bowed his head again, Luca nearly falling down off his head, every time he changed the position of his head, "…But… After I've tried so hard… To be someone I'm not… I don't know which is right from wrong."

Riku looked at the brunette, before shrugging, "Then don't try to change. Maybe the one you're know is the real you. Hmm… where do you live by the way?"

"Near here…" Sora replied quietly. Riku lifted his eyebrow and shrugged again, deciding that maybe he had said enough already. He didn't want to confuse the boy any further.

They walked in silence for a while, before Sora suddenly stopped walking and looked up at Riku. The look in his eyes was… Empty. The silver-haired boy shivered slightly, as he looked into those, suddenly so hollow, eyes.

"I can't change. Not even if I'd want to. They still won't go away… They won't leave me alone. I don't know… which one of them is real and which one is not… What if you're… one of them?" He mumbled, taking few steps backwards, "Their words are so soft… like yours. Their touch is so cold… so lifeless… But you… you make me feel this way… way I can't describe… I don't understand!"

Riku gave a very confused look to the hysterical brown-haired boy, "Sora… who are… They?"

Suddenly the emptiness of Sora's eyes faded, and they were brightly shining again and the most adorable smile plastered on his lips. It was weird how someone could change his/hers emotions so quickly.

"It's nothing! I was just… thinking out loud! Luca says I do it a lot!" He giggled goofily and scratched back of his head. Riku's eyebrow lifted even higher. This was starting to get really… odd.

Sora walked to Riku and gave him a large smile, before walking past him, like nothing was wrong.

"Sora…?" Riku asked.

"Huh?"

"…Never mind… let's just get going."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Later that day, Riku lied on his bed, his eyes gazing at the ceiling. The things Sora had said kept bothering him. Who are 'they'? The brunette boy made no sense sometimes… Yet, no matter what he was like, Riku still couldn't stop thinking about him. There was something different… Something real, yet unreal.

He balled his fists and bit his lip. Somehow, he was sure, Sora was the one he had been looking for. The one he needed. The one he wanted to be with forever.

But then again… eternity is maybe too long time to promise to someone. Riku usually didn't believe in happy endings. After everything he had faced, after all of his relationships going crashing down, he had started to lose faith in love.

But Sora was Sora. Maybe… he could try to believe in love this one more time. Yet still… Sora's boy, just like Riku… Could it be right for them to be in love with each other?

"Riku?"

Riku looked at his brother, who was standing in the doorway, "What's wrong?"

"What do you mean what's wrong? I'm doing okay." Riku replied and lifted his eyebrow. Zexion hmph-ed and shook his head.

"You can't fool my eyes Riku." The older silver-haired man said and turned around, walking out of the door and returning after few seconds, holding a large box of chocolate. Riku lifted his eyebrow even higher and gave his elder brother a quizzical look.

"Chocolate is the best medicine for love troubles!" Zexion winked and placed the box right in front of Riku, "Now, wanna talk about it?"

Riku glanced at the box of chocolate, before looking at his brother. He sighed and slumped his shoulders heavily, "It's not that… I just can't decide what to do…"

"I see." Zexion stated lamely and examined his fingernails, "Maybe you should ask him out like you always do."

Riku nodded his head, but suddenly winced visibly, "Heyheyhey! How did you know he's he, not she?"

The older male groaned and sat down on the bed, "Well, first of all, if it was a girl, you would've asked her out by now, and probably were making out right here where I'm sitting. And second, if you found a new girl, you wouldn't look like that. And by the look in your eyes, I can tell that it's something more serious this time."

Riku couldn't believe his ears. Was he that easy to read? Since when, Zexion had known him that well?

"Hmm… I guess I'm right then."

"Whatever." Riku snorted and turned to stare at the wooden floor, "It's none of your business."

"Since technically I am your guardian, it is my business too. But don't be afraid, I'm okay you having a boyfriend instead of a girlfriend." Zexion snickered.

"Shut it bro… Who ever said that I'd even like him?"

"Oh my god, now you're trying to deny it! Unbelievable!"

"…You're annoying." Riku muttered, while picking up a pillow and throwing it to his brother's face, who kept giggling like there was no tomorrow, "Honestly, shut up already! This' no fun, you don't understand the situation at all!"

"Yeah, of course I don't…" Zexion giggled and stood up. He turned around to leave, but stopped before he reached the door, "Don't be afraid. If you believe he's the one for you, don't let him go."

Riku frowned, and closed his eyes.

"Thank you."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sora hugged his knees, as he sat in his corner, eyes focused on the empty wall. His mind was more disordered than it usually was, and total chaos staggered the balance of his world.

Thoughts of Riku kept filling his mind, changing his emotions from bewilderment to sadness. From pain to happiness. From darkness to light. It was weird how only one person could make it all seem so different. Sora felt like the hold of his own world tightened its grip around his heart even tighter and tighter, like making sure that he wouldn't escape from its grasp.

Sora sighed and touched the wall. For the first time in his life, he started to wonder, why he was sitting there. Why he was alone?

Suddenly a cold hand touched his shoulder, making him jump slightly.

"Sora?" The harsh voice of the Shadow whispered into Sora's ear, "I came here to see you, just like I promised my love…"

Sora looked over his shoulder into those yellow eyes. The Shadow spun him around and pushed his back gently against the wall, while leaning towards his copy.

"Is something wrong dear?" It asked, fake concern filling his features.

Sora knew that really the Shadow held no emotions. It was… just a fake. He knew why it came here in his darkest hour. Even if it felt no happiness, no love… there was still something the Shadow felt… something Sora could never hide. As long as his shadow kept following him, he couldn't run away from the things he wanted to change.

"No… nothing's wrong." Sora replied after a while, closing his eyes, as he felt the cold breath of the Shadow hitting his neck, "…You came here to keep me company?"

"Yes. I love you, and that's why I want no harm to you."

Sora shivered. The touch of the Shadow felt colder than ever.

"Hmm… Who is… Riku?" The Shadow asked, while giving Sora light kisses on his neck. The said brunette's eyes widened and he tightened his grip around the Shadow's shoulders, his nails gently digging into his black skin.

"He's… no one."

The Shadow snorted and bit Sora's neck harshly, making the other one let out a small cry of pain, "He definitely has to be someone… I can see him… He's right… Here." The dark side of Sora said, while placing his cold hand on top of the brunette's chest.

"No, he's…"

"Sora… Which one do you love more…" The Shadow said icily, squeezing Sora's shirt on top of his chest, and pulling him closer to its face, "…Me… Or him? Remember who always has been here for you, when no one else loved you… the one who loved and cared about… the one which was born from your sadness and pain… Your Darkness."

"Shadow… I…" Sora said awkwardly, "I… I love only you."

The Shadow nodded, smiling that same evil smile, it always had on its lips. Suddenly it yanked Sora closer, and pushed its lips against his, kissing roughly its replica, who was too confused to do any gestures of protest.

Sora pushed the Shadow away, his gaze lowering to the floor. It just didn't feel right. Not anymore. He just wished that the Shadow would go away. For so many years it had appeared to him, when he was alone, sitting in the darkness. It used to make him feel better, make him forget… but now, he didn't feel like forgetting anything.

The Shadow could sense the awkwardness in the atmosphere. It frowned and grabbed Sora's chin, forcing him to look at it, "Don't you dare to turn your back on me…"

Sora closed his eyes just to avoid those greedy yellow eyes, which kept haunting him, "Go away… I want to be alone… just for today… please."

The Shadow frowned even deeper, but stood up slowly. It glanced Sora for the last time, before blending with the wall, and creating the shadow of Sora's body.

Tears burst out corner of Sora's eyes, and he fell on the floor, crying over something he didn't even know. Everything just felt so completely lost and in vain. Everything felt so meaningless, became more and more complicated second after second. Nothing made sense anymore. The feelings inside made him want to erase everything and rewrite it.

"What's wrong with me?" Sora mumbled as rubbed his eyes, trying to stop the tears from flowing. The tears without a meaning.

As he lied there, he didn't notice the shadows in the ceilings grow even larger and larger. Soon, there was only a small ray of light, shining through a slightly open door of Sora's room.

Sora shut his eyes and whispered the name of his savior, without even noticing, "Riku…"

After that, the shadows darkened his world.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A/N: Poor Sora. Hormones messing with him. Haha just kidding. I hope you liked this chapter too, and please review Thank you.


	3. Denying The Reality

**My Fatal Reality**

**About the story** – Yea, I don't know why, but somehow I found myself writing a new fiction about Kingdom Hearts. The **pairings** are RikuxSora?xSora, and many more. So if you don't like **shounen-ai**/**yaoi**, please don't read any further. **Bad grammar, angst, Sora- torturing, angst, dark themes, angst** and of course, **boy loving another boy** Oh yeah, and did I mention **angst**? This was first supposed to be DNAngel fic... But… I feel like writing KH stuff ;P

Oh yeah, also mild **Kairi-bashing**.

**Disclaimer** – I do not own Kingdom Hearts.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Chapter 03 – Denying The Reality  


It was a new morning once again. Why did the nights have to go so fast? Sora yawned and stretched his arms, while watching a dusky scenery pass by, as the car drove fast towards the place Sora had to face every day. The place he so much wanted to forget.

Well, there was nothing wrong at the building, but the people who were inside of it made him feel lost and unloved. The brunette boy hugged his teddy bear, and whispered quietly into its ear, "I'm scared Luca… I don't know why…"

The bear gave its owner a concerned look, and hugged him back. Sora smiled weakly, "I usually don't feel like this when I go to school, but today… I dunno it's just weird… Before Riku came around… It all was so clear to me, and… I feel like the world around me is starting to scatter… But, it's probably a good thing…"

"Sir Sora." The driver opened a smile window, which separated the drivers seat and the passengers seats, "We're here."

Sora looked out of the car's window and half pouted and half frowned, "I see. Thank you Rude."

"I'm just doin' my job." The man with black sunglasses said, giving a really small smile to Sora, before the said one jumped out of the black limousine.

With slow and unconfident steps Sora started to approach the big building in front of him. There was no point resisting, he knew he had to go. If he wanted his father to accept him ever again, he needed to face each day of Hell with honour.

"Sora."

The brunette spun around, and his eyes immediately locked with mysterious aqua colored ones. Those beautiful eyes, which belonged to Riku. Sora looked down at his shoes, feeling like he was blushing for some weird reason. Maybe it was because of his eyes, and the way he was looking at him.

"H-hi Riku…" Sora choked the words quietly. The silver-haired boy couldn't help, but let out a small chuckle. The brunette boy was just… too cute.

"Nice car you were in."

Sora kept his eyes on the ground, and mumbled, "Thanks…"

"I guess your parents are pretty rich, since you have that kind of car and all." Riku said, taking few steps towards Sora, and leaned down to look into Sora's bright sky blue eyes, "Hmm… I really like to look into people's eyes when I'm talking to them."

"Ahh, I'm sorry!" Sora said and snapped his head up, yet still he was avoiding eye contact with Riku, "But y-yeah… my Father is p-pretty r-ri-rich… My Mother is o-on a work trip."

"Oh…" Riku replied, folding his arms above his chest. He decided to give up even trying to look into those beautiful eyes of Sora. He snorted playfully and patted Sora's shoulder, "…I see. Well, I hope she's coming back soon. I want to meet your parents someday."

Sora frowned sadly, and clutched his teddy bear. Riku saw the depressed look in Sora's face, and lifted his eyebrow, "Did I say something wrong?"

"No… it's not that…" Sora said, fake happiness filling his hollow voice, "It's just… Father doesn't really talk to me anymore. He thinks I'm… well, not worth to be his soon. And my Mother has been on her work trip for five years now. But I'm sure she'll come back. She can't just… leave me."

Riku gasped, "F-five years?" That really didn't sound like a work trip anymore. Or if it was, Sora's mom probably had hell of a lot work to do.

"I think we should go now…" Sora said, turning around and starting to walk towards the school. Riku scratched back of his head, before following the brunette boy.

The more Riku tried to discover about Sora's life, the more complicated the things became.

Yet, he still wanted to know more. To learn more. No matter what he'd find out, he just couldn't stop thinking about him. This whole thing confused him more than anything. He thought he was used to the feeling of being in love with someone, but he was wrong. The feeling of being in love, made him thrilled and excited, no matter how many times he had to see himself going down, because of love.

"R-riku? You c-coming?"

But then again… He could try to enjoy the sensation as long as it lasted.

"Yeah, I'm coming."

Just like always.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The first period was chemistry for Sora. Riku and he didn't have the same class, so he was sitting alone in the back of the class. Well, he probably would've sat alone even if Riku did have the same class with him. Because of Kairi, he and Riku barely saw each other during the breaks. She took good care of keeping them away from each other.

Sora placed Luca to sit on a chair next to him, and leaned his head on his desk. He was too tired to concentrate on chemistry. Worrying too much over this world drained all of his energy. Why everything had to be so damn complicated?

Why the things couldn't be like he had always imagined they'd be? Why did these creatures, which he once wanted to be real, keep following him, even after he wished they'd be gone?

He looked at the front of the class. There was a pale girl, standing in the corner. Her eyes were blank, large black circles around them. She slowly lifted her gaze to look at Sora, a terrific smile creeping on her lips.

Sora felt chills run down his spine. It was one of _them_. Sometimes, he could see which one of them wasn't real and which one was. But sometimes, they felt so _real_, and it was impossible to tell if it really was only an illusion.

Who they were, or where did they come from? Sora didn't know. They followed him everywhere he went. He was never alone, yet even if he was. Being watched by thousands of illusions didn't make him feel like he was loved or anything.

But eventually, he got used of his own reality around him. It was like living in between two dimensions. This world and the other side.

Sora shook his head, ignoring the lifeless looking girl in the corner and tried to focus his attention on the teacher.

You might wonder now, what _they_ mostly look like? There were many forms the darkness could take. Mostly _they_ were lifeless looking, sometimes even rotten or otherwise inhuman. So, to sum it up, _they_ looked like anything else, but human.

At first, Sora was afraid of them. And he still was. A little. But after realizing, that those mere illusions couldn't hurt him, maybe only mentally, but not physically.

And it was his very own fault that they were there. His own Darkness created them. The Darkness he so much tried to avoid and deny. The thing he bottled up deep inside of him, not letting it show to anyone. But after bottling it up for so long time, it escaped its prison and surrounded him. He was completely lost in his own dark-side.

"Sora!"

Sora snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the teacher, who had a really angry look on her strict face, "Sora! Could you pay attention and answer to the question?"

"I-I'm s-so-sorry!" Sora said and bowed his head, "C-could you r-repeat the question?"

Everyone burst to evil laugh, not really thinking that the situation was funny, but laughing only to humiliate Sora. The teacher, too, let out a small mocking chuckle, before folding her arms, "Maybe little Sora didn't get enough sleep last night, since he's napping on my class. But you know what?"

Sora frowned and shook his head, while the teacher walked next to his desk and slammed her fists on the table, "I. Can't. Stand. Lazy. People." She straightened her back and pointed the door with her finger, "To principal. Now."

The brunette stood up slowly and grabbed his bag, shoving his books back in to it. He took Luca's hand, and started to walk across the class. He could hear snickers and whispers as he approached the door, which seemed to be so far away. He wanted to walk faster through these mocking students, but his feet didn't do co-operation with his brains.

"Look what a snob…"

"Still carrying that stupid bear with him…"

"Hey you know what?" Some gilr whispered to her friends, "I heard that his father told the principal to be really strict on him… because he hates him too! Can you imagine, even his own father hates him with passion!"

Sora's heart stopped beating as he stopped to listen the small conversation.

"Well, it's no wonder really, I would've abandoned him at the moment he was born!"

Suddenly, Sora started to run towards the door, but at the half way through the class, someone 'accidentally' put a foot on his way, causing him to fall on the floor. All of his stuff spread to the floor, and everyone started to laugh more than they already did.

"Oops, my bad…" A blonde boy, who had put his foot on Sora's way, laughed, while pulling his feet back under his desks.

Even the teacher laughed, although she 'tried' to hide her giggles.

Sora stood up quickly, and gathered his books from the floor, before exiting the classroom, accompanied by the loud laughter behind his back. As he passed by the lifeless looking illusion, which was still standing in the corner, near the door. She looked at Sora with her empty eyes, before whispering something Sora couldn't hear.

As the brunette boy entered the corridor, his heart was beating fast. He held Luca tighter and closed his eyes, while leaning his back against the door. Why he was always the one they kept laughing at?

Why him?

Why _always_ him?

Couldn't they see that he was suffering enough already? There was no need for their opinions. All he wanted was to be… alone.

Slowly he started to walk towards the stairs, heading to the principal's office. This surely wasn't the first time his chemistry teacher had told him to go meet the headmaster.

Soon Sora was standing in front of the principal's office's door. He knocked it quickly, and jumped few inches backwards. The door slammed open immediately, and the ever so cheerful principal was standing there, smile on her lips and her hands resting on her hips.

"Ahh, Sora dear! Come in come in!" Rinoa said and stepped away from the doorway, so Sora could enter her office, "So… what brings you here?"

"My… chemistry teacher told me to come here."

Rinoa lifted her eyebrow, while walking to her desk, and gesturing Sora to sit down on a couch.

"Like always." The dark-haired woman giggled, and pulled out a small box of cookies under her desk, "You want some?"

Sora frowned and placed Luca sit next to him, "You're not gonna punish me or anything?"

Rinoa burst out to happy laughter, yet it wasn't mocking. She threw the cookie box to Sora's head, while putting her reading glasses on and opening some folder with notes in it, "Let's see… So Mrs. Moonflow told you to come here, right?"

"Yes." Sora replied, rubbing his aching forehead, where the cookie box had hit him, "I was thinking during the class. Then she asked something, I didn't catch, and then she told me to come here…" The brunette explained, carefully avoiding the part, where the whole class had started to laugh at him.

"I see, I see." Rinoa nodded her head, and put her glasses and the folder away, "To be honest, I don't really like Mrs. Moonflow either. Yet, I can't kick her out of the school, she has too much power over the school… She's right below my level."

Sora nibbled a cookie, remaining silent.

"But you don't need to worry. I'll talk with her… She should try to be more friendly to her students, I know." The principal said in a carefree way, waving her hand in front of her face. Sora gave her a weak smile and nodded his head.

"Thank you." He said quietly to the principal, before he stood up and picked up his teddy bear, "May I leave now?"

"…But first… There's few things I want to discuss with you." Rinoa said, her smile fading away suddenly, and seriousness took over her gestures.

"Uhh… Okay…" Sora said and sat back on the sofa. Rinoa stood up and straightened her back. She walked in front of a large window, gazing out to the schoolyard.

"You know that I used to be a good friend of your parents." She started quietly, touching the cold surface of the window with her fingertips, "Especially with Aerith, your mother… but I haven't seen her in like… four or five years. Your father told me that Aerith went on a work trip… But why there has been no call, no e-mails, no postcards, nothing… So why…"

Sora looked down at the floor. He knew the truth. He knew the truth too well… And that's why he tried to hide it so badly. Tried to run away from the things he shouldn't have ever heard.

"Do you know what happened to your mother, Sora?"

He shut his eyes and bowed his head downer and downer. He was there when it had happened. Yet, he didn't accept it to be true. He made himself believe it to be only dream, not real. So eventually, he started to believe it. Believe the fact that his mother was still alive. Still on a work trip somewhere, and she'd come back soon.

Even if he deep inside knew that she was never coming back, he still kept pretending that nothing ever happened.

"Sora? Are you okay?"

Sora shook his head, as millions of thoughts started to cross his mind's wasteland. He started to feel dizzy, as the images of the reality and denied facts took control over his mind, tearing him away from the present.

Rinoa watched as the brunette boy slowly fell on the floor, his eyes open and emptily looking into the space in front of him, seeing nothing. She ran to the poor boy, screaming for help, while lifting his head on her lap, "Sora! Sora! Someone help me! Anyone!"

Soon a teacher, who was just about to pass her office by, barged in and saw Sora lying on the floor, his head on the principal's lap, "What's going on here?"

"Squall! Go get the nurse! Now!" She yelled orders to a scar-faced man, who nodded his head and ran away to get some help.

Rinoa looked at Sora, and shook his shoulders firmly, "Sora? Sora! Hold in there! The nurse will be right here!" She said to the brunette, whose eyes started to close slowly.

Soon a blonde woman ran through the open door, followed by Squall. The nurse kneeled down next to Sora, and placed two of her hands on Sora's neck, checking his pulse and then back of his hand in front of the brunette's nose. She looked at the two other people in the room and smiled in relief.

"He's okay. Probably just fainted. Place him on the couch and let him rest for a while. He should be okay when he wakes up." The blonde woman said, nodding her head to Rinoa. Then he looked at Squall and continued, "Could you please lift him on the couch for us?"

Squall growled, but obeyed anyways, gently lifting Sora from the floor and placing him on the sofa.

The dark-haired woman smiled and tilted her head backwards, "Gosh… he really scared me though. Thank you Quistis. And Squall too of course."

Squall ran hand through his brown locks, and turned to leave without saying anything. Rinoa glanced his back longingly after him. She shook her head quickly, and drove away those agony filled thoughts of her past, before smiling to Quistis and folding her arms playfully.

"You have any idea why Sora suddenly passed out?" She asked the nurse.

"No, not really. There can be many reasons for that." Quistis said, pushing her glasses a little bit upper her nose bridge, "…For example, lack of sleep, long last hunger or thirst, or stress."

"I see." Rinoa said and walked to Sora, "I'm just kind of worried about him."

Quistis lifted her elegant eyebrow, before heading towards the door, shrugging her shoulders tiredly, "He's just another student Rinoa. You shouldn't worry about him too much. Your job doesn't include inquiring about your pupils private life."

Rinoa let out a frustrated sigh, as she watched the school's nurse exit her office. She poked her tongue out at Quistis, before she disappeared behind a corner. Stupid nurses never understood anything but their job… if even that. The dark-haired woman shoved her hair behind her ear and leaned her hands on the sofa, where Sora was resting.

"I really want to know…" She said quietly, "What happened to her… She was… the best friend, and the closest person to me, ever.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Riku ran towards the tall cherry tree, looking for a certain brown-haired boy. He stopped right under the tree and glanced up at the large branch, but Sora wasn't there. He frowned deeply, before shaking his head. Where could he be? He had searched through the whole school, but there was no sign of him.

He growled and spun around on his heels, and started to run back towards the school building. He had to find Sora. He had to see him… He couldn't focus during the classes, because every time he tried to think about something else than Sora, his thoughts eventually ended up thinking about him again.

The silver-haired teen reached the school's door and entered the hall. But there still was no Sora. Only few students were sitting on the stairs or on the corner benches.

"This situation really is weird."

Riku turned to look at a blonde woman and a brunette man, who had a big scar in the middle of his face. They were walking down the stairs, talking with a quiet voice.

"Hm."

"Maybe we should help Rinoa out and inquire about Sora's family business?" The blonde woman said, glancing at her companion quizzically. The brunette man, however, didn't reply, just folded his arms and frowned. She sighed and shook her head, "You may be right. Let's not get involved in this one. Let's just wait that Sora wakes up and let's head back to Rinoa's office."

Riku's eyes lightened up, and he started to dash up the stairs. Sora + Rinoa's Office the location of Sora.

As soon as Riku reached the principal's office, he started to bang the door, "Sora! SORA! Are you in there!" he yelled and kicked the door.

Rinoa walked behind a corner and frowned as she saw Riku attacking her office's door. She coughed and walked next to the furious young man, "The door is open, my dear."

"O-oh…" Riku mumbled and opened the door. He scratched back of his head and mumbling his apology to the principal, before entering the room, and seeing (his) Sora lying on the sofa, "Sora!"

Rinoa walked into the room after Riku and placed two cups of tea, which she had been carrying, on a table near the couch. She looked at the silver-haired boy, who kneeled next to the sofa, a worried look on his face. The principal quietly made her way to Riku and patted his shoulder, "He should be okay. Just passed out… I-I guess I'll leave you two alone for a while."

Riku kept his eyes locked at Sora, as he heard the door close slowly. As he sat there, watching the peaceful looking Sora, he suddenly started to question himself, why had he come here? He wanted to see that brunette, who was lying on the couch, alright, but… He had never felt this kind of affection towards anyone, especially not towards a boy.

Why was Sora so special to him? He barely even knew him anyways…

Suddenly, he started to doubt the feelings, which overwhelmed him. He stood up ready to leave, but a cold hand grabbed his wrist. He looked down at Sora, who had pleading look on his face. That pout was just too adorable to ignore.

"R-riku?" he said, slightly confused, as he let go off Riku's hand, "Why… What happened…?"

The silver-haired man shook his head and shrugged, "I don't know. I came here to look for you, and you were lying there."

Sora frowned, "I see…" He looked around the principal's office, "Where's Mrs. Heartily?"

"She left. She's probably coming back soon though."

"Okay, I see… So…" Sora looked at Riku and tilted his head a little to left, "Why are you h-here?"

"I told you already, silly." Riku chuckled and poked Sora's nose playfully, before kneeling down next to the sofa again, "I was looking for you. And I found you here."

Sora blinked his eyes, before rubbing his nose. He sat up slowly, causing Luca, which had been sitting on his chest, collapse on his lap. The brunette put the teddy bear back to sitting position in his lap, before turning his attention back at Riku, "Oh, okay. But why you were looking for me?"

Riku groaned and buried his head on the sofa, "Too many questions…" He mumbled into the couch.

"What? I can't hear you." Sora asked, leaning down towards Riku, so he could hear his voice better.

"I said that…" Riku said, lifting his face from the couch. His eyes immediately locked with sky blue ones, as his and Sora's faces were only mere few inches away. Both of them froze and the time seemed to stop, as they continued to stare at each other. Riku tried to continue his sentence, "…You have beautiful eyes…"

Sora blushed, and was about to pull himself back to the proper sitting position, but couldn't move, because of a hand behind his head. He gulped, as he couldn't do anything, but stare into those sea-colored eyes. Sinking into them, and slowly letting himself get lost into those mysterious eyes.

Riku pulled Sora's face closer and closer and slowly their noses were touching, "You wanna know why I came here so badly?"

The brunette boy couldn't speak. He was too shocked to do anything. This whole thing was so new to him. Never before he had experienced such a feeling like this… It tickled in his stomach, and made his head to spin, causing him to lose his sense of reality.

"So… do you?"

Sora nodded his head awkwardly.

And then, Riku just smirked, before crushing his lips against Sora's.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A/N: Sorry it took me a while to update. Been feeling like crap for like a week now. This chapter is really stupid too. Still, I'd be glad if you leaved a really nice review. Thank you all who already reviewed. Peace and Love.


	4. Sooner Or Later

**My Fatal Reality**

**About the story** – Yea, I don't know why, but somehow I found myself writing a new fiction about Kingdom Hearts. The **pairings** are RikuxSora?xSora, and many more. So if you don't like **shounen-ai**/**yaoi**, please don't read any further. **Bad grammar, angst, Sora- torturing, angst, dark themes, angst** and of course, **boy loving another boy** Oh yeah, and did I mention **angst**? This was first supposed to be DNAngel fic... But… I feel like writing KH stuff ;P

Oh yeah, also mild **Kairi-bashing**.

**Disclaimer** – I do not own Kingdom Hearts.

**A small explanation of this story (to few reviewers):**

I haven't experienced the things that happen in this story. However, I get few ideas every now and then, when I listen my friends. Many people talk about their sorrows and secrets to me. I'm not saying any names, or anything, still I'm writing this story for them, and for you too, my dear readers. It's sad to hear all the cruel things happened to you.

We can't change others, but we can change ourselves. (Sorry about this speech, just needed to say something ah-so-clever again xD)

Thanks to everyone who reviews and reads this story.

Oh yeah, and the name of this chapter is also the name of Breaking Benjamin's song _Sooner Or Later_. A good song. :D

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Chapter 04 – Sooner Or Later

That night, Sora couldn't sleep at all. He kept rolling on his bed, and every time he closed his eyes, he saw image of Riku, smirking widely, leaning towards him and placing his lips on his.

He buried his heads to his pillows, just to drive away the confusing thought of him and Riku. He still couldn't name this odd feeling that kept bothering him. Why he couldn't understand himself anymore? These overwhelming feelings didn't want to leave him alone.

A cold breeze swept over him, which was strange, since the windows or the doors weren't open. Sora sat up slowly and saw something moving in the shadows of a corner. He gulped quietly, because he knew what would happen next. A familiar creature rose from the darkness, and started to crawl towards him.

The Shadow jumped to his bed, and pinned Sora down, giving him an angry look, "…I thought you said that you only love me."

Sora didn't say anything, just turned his head away from the Shadow's malicious yellow eyes. He could feel the coldness of Shadow's hands around his wrists. His replica made sure, that there was no escape this time.

"Do you love _him_?" The Shadow whispered, leaning downer and downer, "…Or _me_?"

"Y-you're not real…"

The grip around his wrists tightened, yet Sora knew that the Shadow didn't have enough power to hurt him physically. Only thing it could do was talk. Fill his mind with twisted ideas, and make his sense of reality even more distorted. But sometimes… the words could be even worse than physical pain.

"I am whatever you want me to be. You created me… You can give me the breath of life, if you wanted to. You could let me **live**." The Shadow smirked, and rubbed its forehead against Sora's. The brunette knew very well that he couldn't hold on his darkness much longer. Sooner or later, it will break free and take control over everything he once loved.

"What do you want from me?" Sora asked awkwardly, causing the Shadow chuckle hollowly.

"What do I _want_? Hmm…" It said, while placing a cold kiss on Sora's neck, and then moving to Sora's ear and whispering with a tone, which made shivers run down the brunette's spine, "…Your life."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Next day wasn't any better to Sora. He walked lifelessly down the stairs, after a restless night. Luca, which was on top of his head swung from side to side, as the brunette kept taking tired paces forward.

But all of his tiredness suddenly washed away, as he saw someone standing in the end of the stairway. Someone, he had so long missed to see.

Sephiroth, his father, with his silvery locks waving elegantly, as he glanced at his son with his turquoise eyes. He was dressed in a black suit, and looking somewhat ceremonious. Sora frowned slightly, yet he was truly happy to see his father again, after a really long time.

"Father? It's… nice to see you." Sora smiled as he reached the final steps of the stairs. Sephiroth just hmph-ed and nodded his head slowly. He started to walk towards the large front door, expecting his son to follow him.

"I called your teachers, telling that you're not going to school today." The silver-haired man said, as he opened the door, "Are you coming or not?"

Sora blinked few times, before taking Luca from over his head and holding it against his chest. He ran after his father, who was already entering the black limousine. The brunette jumped in after him, closing the door behind his back. He sat next to Sephiroth, and gave a questioning look to him.

"May I ask, where we are going?" Sora asked. He had been taught to talk politely when he was with his father.

Sephiroth sighed, "I thought that it'd be nice if I treated you with a breakfast. From what I've heard, you seem to have had hard times lately." He said, opening the window and letting the wind blow into the car. Sora looked down at his lap, where Luca was sitting, but nodded with a little bit of hesitate in his features.

"I received a call yesterday." The silver-haired man continued, "…From Mrs. Heartily. She told me that you fainted in her office. So I was wondering, if there's anything you wanted to tell me?"

Sora opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again. He wanted to ask about his mother, but he knew it'd be in vain. There was never better answer than 'she's still on her work trip'. It was always the same answer, with the same empty and hollow tone. And that's what Sora wanted to believe.

And if you believe something hard enough, it slowly seems to be true.

"I…" He started and held Luca a little bit tighter, "I w-was just wondering h-how you are feeling Father. We don't see each other much, so…"

"I'm doing fine, thank you for asking." Sephiroth replied, noticing the ragged teddy bear in Sora's lap, "What's that disgusting little creature? It's ragged and dirty, probably smells too. Why are you carrying it around?"

Sora looked out of the window, pouting, "It's not disgusting little creature... This' Luca."

"That's just ridiculous. Once we get back home, you can get rid of that ugly teddy bear. You're too old to play with toys, son." His father made a face, as he glanced Luca for the last time, before focusing his attention back out of the window. Sora frown-pouted. He surely wouldn't get rid of his teddy bear, that's for sure.

The rest of the drive was silent. Neither one of them didn't have anything to say, until they finally arrived to the parking lot of some really expensive looking restaurant. Sephiroth waited for the driver to come and open the door for him. Rude grumbled, before jumping out of the car, and walking around it, to open the door for the arrogant silver-haired man.

"Thank you Rude." Sephiroth said coldly, while stepping out of the car, and waiting for Sora, who jumped out right after him. The silver-haired man eyed the car driver, before faking a smile, "Go and do what you want. Just be back in… let's see… an hour. That should be enough."

"Yes sir." Rude said, his harsh voice somewhat quiet. He returned back into the car, and started to drive again.

Sephiroth looked at Sora then nodding his head towards the restaurant, "Shall we?"

The brunette nodded his head, and started to head towards the restaurant with his father.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Riku tapped his fingers against his desk, feeling slightly annoyed and restless because of the absence of Sora. They were in the same class in Biology, yet there was no sight of the brunette. And from what he had heard, Sora was never absent from the lessons, not even if he was sick. That's why he started to get a little bit nervous.

Maybe it was because of what happened yesterday? Maybe that kiss was too much for Sora to handle? Riku shook his head, and smirked as he remembered the look in Sora's face, after he had pulled away from the kiss. He swore that he had never seen anything redder than Sora's face back then in the principal's office. But even if Sora was too cute for his own good, and all, he wasn't sure if he should have advanced that fast.

But right after the kiss, Sora had ran out of the room, his hand covering his mouth and his cheeks red as a ripe tomato.

Yet, even if the brunette did flee, Riku didn't take that as a rejecting gesture. It was more like Sora did it out of confusion and embarrassment, which was a really normal reaction to Riku. That's what he would have done too if someone (especially the same gender as he) kissed him. Oh well, it of course depended on who would kiss him too.

He surely wouldn't mind if Sora kissed him. No, not at all. But he knew that that wouldn't happen any time soon. Maybe never, but there still was hope.

Even though, he had to admit that all these people around him and Sora made the whole thing more difficult. Riku didn't want to admit it, but deep inside he was afraid of being alone. He didn't want to end up in the same state Sora was in. He was afraid to admit that he was scared. Scared of being left alone.

But then again, we all are the same. No one can stand the loneliness. Not even Sora, even if he had been alone for so long. Eventually, he wouldn't be able to take it anymore. Riku couldn't predict what would happen when Sora was through being alone. Maybe he would start hurting himself, maybe even end up taking his own life. But that's why, Riku –had- to do something, before it was too late.

The silver-haired boy looked at Kairi, who was sitting next to him. People like her were the worst ones ever. They couldn't see the through the mask that covers us all. They're so superficial, so selfish. There was no point even trying to change people like Kairi. They would change, if they felt like changing.

"Rikuu, whatcha staring at?" Kairi whispered over-too-sweetly, while leaning towards Riku.

"Hm?" Riku frowned, before turning his head towards the front of the class, "Nothing. Just thinking."

Kairi snickered and poked Riku's nose gently, before focusing her attention back at the biology teacher. She had no idea what Riku really was thinking.

The silver-haired boy leaned his head to his palms. He knew that the time would come, when he would have to stand up and fight for Sora. But he didn't know if he was ready to face the consequences. Deep inside, he was just a pitiful coward, just like everyone else. He knew that there were only really few people, who would ever side with the weakest.

Riku sighed loudly. Kairi turned her head towards him again, "Something wrong?" She asked quietly.

But Riku just shook his head as a reply. The brunette girl shrugged, and then smiled widely, "You know you can tell me if there's something bothering you. I can keep a secret…"

Riku wanted to laugh. He knew that Kairi could never keep even the tiniest secret to herself. Her whole appearance screamed 'I'm a gossiper!'. He shook his head and leaned his head back to his palms.

And before he even realized, the period was over as the bell rang loudly. He stuffed his books into his backbag, before uniting with the mass of students, who were heading out of the door. Then he just… went with the flow.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Thank you for the breakfast…" Sora mumbled to his father, as they reached his school. He gulped rather loudly, when he looked out of the car's window and saw the school's biggest bullies Ansem and Vexen standing there. He looked at Rude, "Could you drive a little bit forward, please?"

"Oh, what's wrong Sora?" Sephiroth asked, and the sarcasm was there for everyone to hear. Only people like Sora were too naive to catch the mock in his voice.

Sora looked at his father, before shaking his head in defeat, "N-nothing… There's just a large puddle next to the car…"

Sephiroth leaned towards the window, and frowned when he saw no puddles. He looked at Sora, weird look covering his features, "I see no puddles, Sora. Is there something you would like to tell me?"

"No! There's absolutely nothing. I t-think I was just imagining things then." Sora smiled widely and jumped out of the car, Luca close to his chest.

As soon as the brunette stepped out of the car, Ansem and Vexen spotted him. He kept his eyes at the pavement, waiting for the car behind him drive away, so his father didn't have to see when the things would get dirty. But, no matter how long he waited the car didn't drive away. So, eventually he took awkward steps forward.

After few hard looking steps, he gained a firm hit to his back, which caused him to fall on the ground. Luca flew from his hands to the grass next to the sidewalk, and was now out of his reach.

Sora looked up and saw both Ansem and Vexen smirking at him. They said something, but Sora didn't catch it. He was too busy looking over his shoulder, in to the black limousine, which was still there. Sephiroth was staring at him, weird grin on his lips. Like he would've gained some kind of sick satisfaction by seeing his son, his flesh and blood, being just bullied right in front of his eyes.

Sora opened his mouth to say something, but a hard kick to his stomach stopped him. For a second, he couldn't breathe in or out, he just opened his mouth into a silent scream.

But still- his father kept watching him. Not doing any gestures of helping him. Sora could swear he heard a laugh, before the car started to slowly drive away. Leaving him alone, in the hands of Ansem and Vexen.

The brunette boy could feel something crush deep inside of him. Something he had always held for his dad was now lost, crushed and devastated. It was something so little, yet something so big. Something you couldn't replace too easily.

It's called Respect.

Sora couldn't feel the pain the two boys were causing to him. His mind wasn't focused on the pain on surface, but the pain inside.

So long he had tried… tried so hard to make his father notice him. Just to make him realize that he was alive. Or maybe… he wasn't doing it because of he wanted attention from his dad. There were so many reasons that keep us doing something, and even if we don't realize their existence, they still are there.

Maybe he just wanted to feel alive.

Despite the fact Ansem and Vexen still kept kicking his stomach, he slowly started to get up, always ending up landing on his stomach again.

A kick after a kick. But still, he felt no pain. There was nothing left. It was like the fragile base he had been standing on, would have fallen apart, right beneath his feet.

Finally Ansem and Vexen had had enough fun with Sora, and turned around to leave. The brunette boy lifted his body from the ground by straightening his arms. He felt a harsh cough coming. He spat blood and saliva on the pavement. The bitter and metallic taste of blood lingered in his mouth, and he felt tears coming up to his eyes.

The pain slowly, but surely started to overwhelm him. He crawled towards the small grass area next to the pavement and picked up Luca. With shaky feet, he stood up. He picked up his bag too, even though he hadn't even noticed that he had dropped him.

Sora touched his stomach with his trembling hands. The pain wanted him to fall down on the ground again, but his mind didn't want to co-operate. His well kept him taking him more and more steps, even though his body was ready to break down.

"Don't worry Luca… we're nearly there…" Sora mumbled faintly, as he slowly approached the school building slowly. Each step caused more pain in his stomach, and each minute made him lose his mind into the nothingness even more. He held Luca closer to his chest, as his vision slowly started to blur.

"…We…ar…e… nea…rly…ther…e…"

Sora fell on the ground, once again, but this time he didn't get up. He just couldn't fight the pain anymore. The physical and mental down finally pulled him down.

Tears started freely roll down his cheeks, as the energy to hold his emotions inside faded away. Loud sobs escaped his mouth, and he hit the ground with his balled fist. The person he had admired the most, suddenly turned out to be his worst enemy.

He started to feel weird. The grass underneath him started to move. His eyes shut against his will, and his grip around Luca loosened.

"Sora!"

Sora tried to look up towards the voice, but his eyes deceived him, and the image was fuzzy. Only thing he could see was a shining figure, running towards him, the sunlight creating a halo on top of the runner's head.

The brunette reached his hand towards the shiny figure, but before he could reach it, everything went black.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"When he'll wake up!"

"Calm down Riku…"

"I fucking can't! He looks so pale too…"

"Hm."

"I wonder who could ever do something like this to him…"

"You really don't know anything Mrs. Heartily do you?"

"Like what I don't know, _Riku_?"

"Okay, cut it off both of you."

Sora groaned, and opened his eyes slowly. The people around him gasped and smiled happily.

"Sora!" Riku cried happily, and jumped on top of Sora, pinning him down on the bed. The brunette blinked and looked to his sides. He was in his room, lying on his bed. Then he looked at the silver-haired boy, who was on top of him, smirking happily.

"W-what… why a-am I here?" He mumbled, and looked at Rinoa, Squall and Quistis, who were standing next to his bed.

"Riku found you lying in the school's yard." Quistis explained, while gesturing Squall to remove Riku away from Sora, "You were in a kind of bad condition, so we decided to take you home. And when your father wasn't home, we took liberty of walking in and bringing you here."

Squall yanked Riku away from the bed, and the silver-haired boy took few stumbling steps, before regaining his balance and shooting few angry glares at the scar-faced man. But Squall coldly ignored him and folded his arms above his chest.

Sora frowned. Even if his father was only mentioned, he felt burning hatred filling his mind. How could he not help him, when he had needed him the most? The brunette balled his fists, and looked away from the others.

Rinoa blinked few times and kneeled next to Sora, and placed her hand on his shoulder, "Sora, what's wrong?"

"…Nothing."

But Rinoa just shook her head, and poked Sora's stomach, causing him to squirm in pain, "Then, who did this to you?"

Sora closed his eyes and bit his lip. He didn't want to tell them. And even if he wanted, he couldn't. Even if he had lost all of the respect for his father, he couldn't stop hoping that his father could somehow apologize him, and it all would be okay again.

Everyone in the room looked at Sora, who suddenly broke into a sweet smile, "I'm okay now. Thank you all. I fell… umm… in my bathtub t-this morning a-a-and… and landed o-on my s-stomach. Then I-I guess I f-felt kind of… umm… dizzy and then j-just passed o-out."

"Sora dear, you passed out in my office yesterday too." Rinoa said, a concerned look on her face. She knew something was wrong, and she wouldn't give up before he would tell her. She was about to open her mouth again, to say something, but Quistis placed her hand on her shoulder and shook her head.

"Maybe we should give it a rest for now…" The school nurse said, and started to walk towards the door.

Rinoa narrowed her eyes to Quistis, before hmph-ing and standing up. She gave a large smile to Sora, before catching up with Squall and Quistis. But before she exited the room, she turned to look at Riku, who didn't do any gestures of following her, "You're gonna stay here?" she lifted her eyebrow.

"Yeah. If it's okay…?"

"Sure. I'll tell your teachers that you suddenly felt really sick." Rinoa giggled happily, and jumping out of the room, while mumbling "…Lovesick indeed."

Sora blushed and carefully avoided making any kind of eye contact with Riku. When the other one realized the awkwardness in the atmosphere, he chuckled and walked around Sora's large room. It was so tidy and all… yet, it wasn't cozy. It didn't look like someone would have lived there… It resembled much a hotel room. No personal things on the shelves or such.

There were only few photos on top of a small shelf. Riku walked to them and looked each one of them.

In the first picture, there was a brown-haired woman, happily smiling, as a silver-haired man had his hands tied around her waist. The woman looked much like Sora. Riku could immediately tell that the picture's woman was Sora's mother. The one who was on the 'work trip'.

The other one was a picture of a brown-haired girl, a microphone in her hands. She was pretty, and her eyes had different colors: blue and green. It looked pretty cool in fact.

The third, and the last one, had the same brown-haired woman and silvery haired man as the first one. But there was also a small boy, with spiky brown hair. Sora. And there was also a fourth person, but his head was torn away. There was only a blank hole where his head was supposed to be.

Riku frowned and turned to look over his shoulder, "Who's this?" He asked, pointing the headless boy, standing next to Sora in the picture.

"I… I don't know." The brunette boy sighed, as he slowly get out of the bed and walked to Riku, "Father always tells me to shut up about him, and I'm not allowed to ask anything about him… I don't know why though…"

Sora looked at the picture, and smiled sadly, "Mother never told me anything either… because father told her not to."

Riku didn't know what to say. Even if he hadn't meet Sora's father yet, he could already tell that he didn't like him. Those things he made poor Sora believe… The silver-haired man let out a heavy sigh, before quietly taking few steps towards Sora.

And before Sora could react, he felt two strong arms wrap around his waist from behind, and Riku leaned his head on his shoulder. He breathed into Sora's ear, causing the younger one to shiver, "Don't worry, I think that you'll find out who he is sooner or later."

The brunette's face was now all red, but he didn't do any gestures of refusal. In fact, he enjoyed the other one's touch.

Riku grinned and sniffed the sweet scent of Sora's hair, "You've done something weird to me, _Sora_…"

Sora gulped and kept glancing the floor, "L-li-like w-what?"

"Hm…" The silver-haired man chuckled, and slipped his hand under Sora's shirt, touching his silky stomach. This only made the other one's face become even hotter, but Riku didn't care, as he continued moving his hand, until he reached the place, where he could feel Sora's heart beating fast, "…You made something change here."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A/N: Pretty much thinking in this chapter. :P Hmm… just realized that Ashley Parker Angel is a pretty good singer. It kinda inspired me at the end of this chappie. Funny guy (truly a pretty boy). Ohh yeah, and we shouldn't forget Breaking Benjamin and 3 Doors Down. If the chapter is really weird and such, blame my lack of sleep. XD


	5. Fatal Mind

**My Fatal Reality**

**About the story** – Yea, I don't know why, but somehow I found myself writing a new fiction about Kingdom Hearts. The **pairings** are RikuxSora?xSora, and many more. So if you don't like **shounen-ai**/**yaoi**, please don't read any further. **Bad grammar, angst, Sora- torturing, angst, dark themes, angst** and of course, **boy loving another boy** Oh yeah, and did I mention **angst**? This was first supposed to be DNAngel fic... But… I feel like writing KH stuff ;P

Oh yeah, also mild **Kairi-bashing**.

**Disclaimer** – I do not own Kingdom Hearts.

Hohohoo, people don't think that this story will be full of scenes with Riku and Sora making out somewhere... This is an angst fic after all. It just hasn't started yet… 8D :really evil laughs:

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Chapter 05 – Fatal Mind

"Hm…" The silver-haired man chuckled, and slipped his hand under Sora's shirt, touching his silky stomach. This only made the other one's face become even hotter, but Riku didn't care, as he continued moving his hand, until he reached the place, where he could feel Sora's heart beating fast, "…You made something change here."

Sora inhaled a deep breath, just to calm himself down. Riku was driving him crazy. The emotions, which now made him tremble, were similar to the feelings he had felt yesterday. When Riku had kissed him in the office…

Before Sora could even realize, he was back in his bed, Riku on top of him.

"R-Riku?" Sora gulped, as the said one slowly leaned down towards his face.

"Oh shut up, _Sora_." Was a simple reply, before the silver-haired teen's lips touched the other one's. The younger one froze, since he had never before done anything like this. In fact, he wasn't even sure what he was doing. Riku noticed that Sora became oddly tense and pulled back, "Just relax…."

Sora inhaled a deep breath and nodded nervously. The other one smirked, before landing his lips on Sora's again. This time the kiss became deeper, as the brunette accidentally forgot his mouth open. Of course, Riku took advantage and slipped his tongue into Sora's mouth. The boy underneath let out a small moan, yet he didn't know how to reply to the kiss.

But to Riku, it was enough to get this close to Sora. He didn't want anything else. He needed no hugs no kisses, nothing. Only thing he wanted, no –needed-, was to get close to Sora. To prove him how much he cared about him. Even loved, he could say.

Even if Riku had dated many girls, yet he never had felt like this towards any of them. He always had claimed how much he loved them… yet if this was how it felt like to be in love… Then he had never loved any of his former girlfriends. And if this wasn't love, then there was no such thing existing.

Finally Riku let Sora breathe again, as he leaned back.

"I… I-I-I…" Sora mumbled, as he sat up, when Riku stood up, grinning widely.

"It's okay Sora, you'll understand someday." The silver-haired boy said, before turning around and walking away. Sora stared at his back, when he exited his room.

He touched his cheeks and could feel them burning. He felt dizzy, just like yesterday, only this time the feeling was more powerful. It felt like something would have knocked all of the air out of his lungs.

He lied on his back again, closing his eyes and a faint smile curving his lips upwards. The warm sensation in his heart caused him to giggle a little. He had never done drugs, but he could tell that it must feel something like this. It was awesome, yet addictive.

But then a freezing cold squall blew against his face, causing the door shut with loud noise. Sora winced and covered his face with his hands.

The dark Shadow came from the shadows of the darkest corner in Sora's room. Its yellow eyes stared Sora angrily, like it would've wanted to kill its replica at this very moment. The brunette let out a small gasp, as he felt stinging pain in his stomach. He fell of his bed and screamed in pain on the floor.

"Tsk tsk." The Shadow said, as it took slow steps towards Sora, who was now lying on the floor, holding his stomach, "Sora has been a very very bad boy."

Sora looked at his Shadow, which kneeled in front of him. He gritted his teeth, as the pain slowly started to ease. He had never before felt pain like this. Not even when he had been beaten up, never it had hurt this much.

The Shadow seemed to enjoy watching Sora in great pains. It smirked evilly, and touched the other one's cheek with its cold palm and wiped the tears of pain from the corner of his eyes.

"Y-you can't hurt me…" Sora mumbled as he slapped the Shadow's hand away.

A cold laugh echoed in the room, as the Shadow stood up and shook its head in amusement, "Can't hurt you? Wanna try?" It said, and narrowed its eyes. It lifted its hand in front of its face, and balled it slowly.

Sora let out a horrible scream, as the pain returned. It felt like someone would have stabbed blunt and rusty daggers to his stomach. He couldn't move, because the pain only jerked him back down.

"St-stop it, pl-please! Make it g-go away!" Sora begged the Shadow. Tears rolled down his cheeks, and he gritted his teeth, slowly starting to wish for his death to come and take the pain away, "P…please…"

But the Shadow just laughed. The laugh wasn't mocking or humiliating. It was merely a cold and hollow voice, without a meaning. But then deadly silence landed, and only small whimpers came from Sora, who lied on the floor, the pain slowly fading away. Blood was dripping down from the corners of his mouth.

"Oh, Sora dear…" The Shadow said over-too-sweetly, "…Did it _hurt_?"

The brunette shut his eyes and wiped the blood from his mouth. He slowly sat up and looked at his shadow, terror and fear filling his bright blue eyes.

How could this happen? Sora had always thought that those illusions couldn't hurt him, so why…? Why did this happen? He touched his bruised stomach and made a face as a stinging pain shot through his stomach.

The Shadow placed his palm on Sora's cheek and smiled oddly, "Sora… Didn't you ever notice how you fed me with the sorrow and pain you faced? Then, there was only one last thing I needed, and you finally gave it to me… It's the lust you felt, when Riku did those things to you… Yet, I'm still not fully complete…" It stroked the brunette's cheek, and kissed his forehead, before standing up.

"I order you to leave Riku. You're mine and only mine." The Shadow said and turned around, walking towards the darkest corner in the room, "…And if you don't… I'll let you taste the _real_ pain. I was just… warming-up today. And…"

Sora shut his eyes and inhaled a deep breath. The Shadow chuckled coldly, "…And you surely don't wanna pull Riku into the same mess you are already in. You surely don't want him to become an isolated freak like you are." Those were the last mocking words of the Shadow, before it disappeared into the everlasting darkness.

The brunette buried his face to his hands, as he burst out into helpless sobs. His whole body trembled, as he tried to gather his thoughts and pull himself together.

He was afraid and lost. He didn't know what to do, since he really liked Riku, yet he didn't want this to repeat. Or worse… He didn't want Riku to become like him. If he'd have to see Riku in the same state he was, he would never forgive himself. It would be even worse than the pain Shadow made him feel.

Maybe it'd be better for Riku if he pushed him away, now that he still had a chance? Sora shook his head and gritted his teeth. Even if he tried to make himself believe that he would leave Riku for his own good, deep inside he knew that he did it because of his own selfish reasons.

He was afraid that his Shadow would soon conquer his world, as the final bonds between Sora and this world would tear apart. Yet, he still didn't know which world was better- this one, which everyone else saw as a real world, or the one he had created around him, to protect him from the another world?

Sora let the tears flow freely down his cheeks. He didn't want to face the tomorrow. His mind kept screaming to him, that he should leave Riku, but his heart protested and told him to try to find another way.

He could still feel Riku's touch on his skin, but he could feel the pain Shadow caused to him right after that too. The emotions battled against each other, making Sora fall down on the floor and close his eyes slowly. Soon, his mind and body was too numb and sore to keep on fighting.

Sora fell into restless slumber, yet still the tears kept flowing down his eyes.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Aerith was folding Sora's clothes, next morning, while Sora stepped into his room's small bathroom. The brunette woman gasped and looked at the tired looking boy, "My… Sora sir, you didn't sleep well last night, did you?"

"Is it that obvious?" Sora mumbled as he walked to the mirror and looked at the black circles around his eyes. He let out a heavy sigh, and shook his head weakly. A nightmare after a nightmare kept waking him up last night. Every one of them included both Riku and the Shadow.

He felt tears coming to his eyes again, as he remembered what he had to do today. He fell on his knees and started to cry out loud, not ready to go to school. He wasn't ready to face this day. He hoped that he could just die away, so he wouldn't have to worry about this world or the people in it.

"Sora?" Aerith asked, concern filling her loving voice, as she kneeled down, next to the crying boy, and reached her hand out to touch him, "W-what's wrong?"

Sora sniffed and tried to calm himself down. Crying didn't help at all, and he knew that. Yet, he still couldn't help the tears, which made his vision fuzzy and made his cheeks wet. He looked at Aerith and sobbed, "I can't take this anymore… I don't… don't know what to do… Everything's so messed up…"

Aerith frowned, and pulled her hand back, before she could touch Sora's shoulder, "Something happened?"

"Yes…" Sora nodded his head, but then quickly shook it to change his answer, "…No."

"You don't want to talk about it, right?"

"Yeah…" Sora said, as he shut his eyes tightly. He wished that he could turn back time... He should have never let Riku become so important to him. It's just like they say; you lose first the things you love most.

"You should get ready for the school…" Aerith said quietly, before standing up and walking away, "And remember Sora… Don't lose yourself, even if your worst enemy is yourself. In the end… some things you think are real, aren't."

Sora sniffed loudly, as the door behind him slammed shut. He stood up on his shaky knees, and leaned on his bathroom's sink. He looked into the mirror. He really looked dead… his skin was pale and black circles surrounded his eyes.

He inhaled a deep breath. What would be the best way to tell Riku to leave him alone? And even if he told him, would he really leave him? Sora shook his head and shut his eyes. He couldn't tell Riku about the Shadow either, or he'd think he had gone crazy. And if he told him that, the Shadow would probably once again find a way to hurt him…

Sora touched his stomach. There were some bruises still. Those weren't caused by the Shadow, though, but Ansem and Vexen.

Eventually, Sora walked back into his room, and picked Luca up from his bed. He looked at the teddy bear, sadness filling his eyes, "…Wish me luck, will you?" he said, before placing Luca on top of his head and snatching his bag.

All the way down the stairs, Sora couldn't think of anything clever to say to Riku. All he could feel was fear of the silver-haired teen's reaction.

_I'm so scared._

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Riku was already standing in front of the school gates, waiting for a certain brown-haired man. The other students, who passed him by, gave him weird glances as he just kept grinning from ear to ear. He could hear someone say that he had gone crazy. Someone else said that he was in love. Maybe both of them were right.

"Rikuuuu!"

Riku's eyebrow twitched. Oh no… could it be…? No, please say it's not… "Ehh, hi Kairi…"

The brunette girl dashed to Riku, a large smile on her lips. She jumped up and down, and shoved a piece of paper into the silver-haired boy's hands, "Heyhey, I have parties this weekend! Thought you'd be interested, since you're new here and need friends and such! So if you wanna meet new people, you should come!"

Riku looked at Kairi, then at the paper in his hands, "Umm… Well, I don't know yet. I may have to go help my grandma with her cats." He lied fluently.

"Ah… I see… Well, let me know if you can come, okay?" Kairi's smile froze slightly, but only for few seconds, "Hehe, see you in the class then!"

Riku snorted and waved his hand to the girl, as she disappeared somewhere into the noisy crowd of students.

The silver-haired boy looked around. There were still no signs of Sora. He sighed loudly and ran his hand through his (beautiful) hair.

Soon Riku could see a black limousine approaching the school. He smirked, as the car barked next to the sidewalk and Sora jumped out of it. The silver-haired man started to walk towards the other one with large leaps.

"Soraaa!"

Riku frowned deeply, as he saw the brunette boy froze. He walked closer, but when he tried to reach out for Sora, the said one just backed away.

"Is something wrong?" Riku asked, folding his arms.

Sora opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He hugged his teddy bear close to his chest. He didn't know what to do or say. He was completely confused about this moment and the feelings he felt. Riku had taught him so many new emotions…

"Sora?" The silver-haired man tried to approach Sora once again, but the brunette just avoided his touch. Riku sighed, "Sora, you're starting to scare me… Did I do or say something?"

Once again, Sora opened his mouth, but still couldn't think of anything clever to say. He knew he had to do it… But how? How could he tell Riku something like that, without breaking his heart? Sora shook his head rapidly, feeling the familiar burn in the back of his eyes. He didn't want to do it… Even though, it would probably be better for Riku and him that they would quit their little relationship, while they still could.

"Riku, I-I…" Sora mumbled, "I-I… W-we…. We can't c-continue l-li-like t-this!"

Riku lifted his eyebrow, "Why?"

That was the question Sora was afraid of the most. _Why_? How could he explain Riku, why they had to break up?

Suddenly Sora found two strong arms around his waist. Riku leaned his head against his shoulder, while pulling him closer and closer to his chest. Sora wanted to cry. Again. That's why he had to stop it. He grabbed firmly Riku's shoulders and pushed him away.

"Sora?" Riku said, and pulled back. He knew he could have just stayed and embraced Sora, since the brunette wouldn't have had enough strength to push him away… But it was like Sora would have reached his soul, and pushed him away mentally.

"R-Riku…" Sora started. He inhaled a deep breath. It couldn't be so hard, could it? Just three words… opposite to 'I love you'… "R-riku **I hate you**!"

Riku's eyes widened. He didn't want to believe his ears. Sora really couldn't mean that… he couldn't really _hate_ him?

"Y-you're m-making m-me sick!" Sora continued. He didn't know himself anymore. It wasn't him who said those things… it was like someone from deep inside would have forced him to spit those words against Riku's face, "I'm not gay! I-I don't like other boys! It's not right! Don't try to pull me into t-this!"

Riku took few steps backwards. All this time… why Sora hadn't said anything? "S-Sora? But… why?"

"You're asking m-me why?" Sora chuckled sadly, as he bowed his head down and few tears fell his eyes, "I don't freaking know! Just leave me alone! Get out of my mind, my life, and my heart! Okay?"

The silver-haired boy's features were all serious. He didn't even blink, as he stared at Sora. His mysterious eyes seemed to hide more emotions than Sora could even count, "You're so heartless Sora."

_No, I'm not…_ Sora thought, _…but the thing inside of me is…_

Then Riku turned around and left. Without saying a word, he disappeared from Sora's sight.

Sora's knees gave up and he fell on the pavement. He looked at the crowd of students, trying to find Riku desperately, but it was in vain. The silver-haired boy was already gone. Sora already regretted those things he had just said. He didn't know what word 'love' meant, but from what he had heard, it was supposed to be a wonderful feeling.

…So why did love hurt him so much?

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sora sat in the back of the class, trying to be as invisible as possible. He didn't feel like getting any negative attention today, even though he knew that there would be calling names and such, like always. Nothing ever changed, so why would this day be somewhat different?

The brunette hid his face into his palms. He wanted to go home. He had never before wanted to go home this badly. Even if the place 'home' meant endless loneliness and struggles against his own mind, it was a lot safer than a place, where his pain was on display for everyone to see. When he was at the school, anyone could throw a nasty comment about his empty life.

And now… even the last sparkle of hope had faded. Riku, who made butterflies fly in his stomach, now hated him. And it was all because of his shadow. Looks like the empty years and lonely days had finally gotten their chance to backfire.

It hurt so much. It was like it would be hard to breathe, like the air around you was so thin that you could barely inhale it. It squeezes your lungs painfully and makes you beg for mercy and forgiveness for the things you have done.

The teacher entered the class, but Sora didn't notice it, nor he didn't care. There were too many thoughts overwhelming his mind.

Sora clutched Luca, which was sitting on his lap. The raggedy teddy bear was the only thing he could trust and only one he could turn to when he needed some solace.

The brown-haired boy didn't know why, but somehow his life felt even emptier than it had been. He already missed Riku… his gorgeous smirk and his perfect appearance. He truly was perfection itself. He was everything Sora wasn't, and would never be. He was everything Sora needed to fill the empty spaces in his heart and mind with.

But now he was gone.

The only thing Sora had desired and cared was now forever gone. He could as well give up on his life, since there was absolutely nothing left, except for a broken heart. He was back at the state he had started from. He was able to get so far this time, but somehow he had ended up falling on his back again.

The whole class started to laugh suddenly. Yet, Sora still didn't care, even if they were laughing at him.

The teacher left the classroom, probably to get some papers or something. Everyone started to chat immediately when the door was closed behind the teacher's back. But Sora still didn't care about anything.

"Hey Riku…"

Someone calling Riku's name made him raise his head. He looked around and saw the silver-haired boy sitting next to Kairi, who was grinning madly. How come Sora hadn't even noticed that Riku was in the same room with him…?

"What is it… Kairi?" Riku mumbled, with not-too-happy voice. He looked at the brunette girl next to him, and gave her a cold smile.

"Since… everyone's here, I wanted to confess something." Kairi inhaled a deep breath while she stood up and looked at everyone around her, "Riku, I… I really like you. More than as a friend."

Everyone gasped and focused their attention on Kairi and Riku. It was weird that someone had enough guts to say something like that in the middle of a class, so everyone could hear and see their conversation.

Riku looked tiredly at Kairi. Then he looked at Sora, who quickly looked away. There was nothing to lose… and maybe he could find some real friends through Kairi… He stood up also and looked at the brunette girl in front of him.

Maybe he would come to regret this eventually, but at the moment, he didn't care. All he wanted was an escape from the prison of emotional pain.

"Kairi, I like you too." He stated simply, still coldness echoed in his voice. He leaned down and placed his lips on Kairi's, which the whole class burst out into cheers and applauses. Kairi smiled, as she tied her arms around the taller one's neck and closing her eyes.

Of course Kairi noticed the hollowness of Riku's words, but she knew that she could make Riku love her somehow. And… Riku wasn't everything she wanted. She was also looking for revenge…

During this little incident, no one seemed to notice how Sora quietly exited the room.

Riku pulled away from Kairi, and everyone clapped his or her hands. But Riku himself wasn't too proud of himself. Kissing the brunette girl felt so wrong. Even if he tried to think it was Sora who he was kissing, it didn't help. No one could ever replace Sora… especially not Kairi…

"Wohoo, way to go Kai! That's my girl!" A girl with short black hair screamed and pumped her fist into the air. Kairi smiled to her, before looking at the silver-haired boy in front of her.

…But their eyes didn't meet, since Riku was glancing to whole different direction. Kairi frowned, but didn't let this small thing bother too much. She smiled as she sat down and placed her hands on her lap, while whispering something to her friends.

Riku stared at the empty seat where Sora had been sitting just a while ago. He let out a heavy sigh and shook his head. But why would Sora even care if he kissed Kairi? Hadn't he made pretty clear that he wasn't gay? He had just torn his heart into pieces, and yet he still cared about him?

Yet, Riku still couldn't fight against the sting of guiltiness, which pierced through his heart.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

As soon as he reached the corridor, he started to run. He had never before run as fast as he did now. Something inside of him forced him to go on faster and faster, till his strength gave out and he fell on the cold floor of school's restroom. Taste of blood lingered in his mouth, as he tried to stand up, but failed miserably.

So there he lied, on the cold floor of men's restroom. Luca was there too, right next to him. Sora reached out his hand to pull the teddy bear closer to him. He closed his eyes, but the tears still made their way down his cheeks, "Luca… h-how c-could this h-happen to me?"

The coldness of the floor made Sora tremble. Or maybe it was the sobs, which caused the terrible shaking?

He closed his eyes, but the picture of Riku and Kairi kissing didn't fade. He knew that he didn't have any right to complain, after the things he had said to Riku… yet it still hurt.

It hurt so much that it felt like his heart and head would explode.

"Uhh… Excuse me?"

Sora looked up at a blonde boy, few years older than him, who was now kneeling next to him, "Are you okay…?"

The brown-haired boy sniffed, and tried to get up once again, but kept failing with his task. The other one frowned and offered his hand, to help him stand up. Sora took his hand and stood up on his shaky feet.

"That's not too clever place to take a nap…" The blonde mumbled, while running his hand through his spiky hair, "…Just came to this school few days ago and already find half dead freshmen lying on restroom's floor… Can't be too healthy."

"W-who are you?" Sora mumbled, while leaning his weight one of the sinks.

The blonde man chuckled, "Oh yes, how rude… I'm Cloud Strife. I just moved here with my aunt." He explained, while examining his fingernails, "…And you?"

"I-I'm Sora…"

A deep frown came to the other ones features. He stared at the brunette for a good while, opening and closing his mouth every now and then. Then he let out a carefree laugh and waved his hand in the air, "Ah, nice to meet you… Sora. And… what's that?"

Sora looked at the direction where Cloud was pointing and saw Luca, "He's L-Luca…"

"Luca, huh?" The blonde mumbled quietly, and rubbed his nose thoughtfully, "It's nice to meet you Sora and Luca…"

Sora gave him a small smile, while wiping the tears from his cheeks. Cloud frowned, but didn't say anything. He seemed to realize that it wasn't his place to speak. Even though the boy seemed rather familiar, it would be probably best if he left now… "So, well… I gotta go, see you around Sora. T-take care."

The brunette sighed in relief, as the bathroom door closed behind Cloud's back.

He turned around, and looked down at a metallic sink. With shaky hands, he turned the water on and splashed some of it on his face. Now that he was alone, he felt like crying once again. His head started to ache, because of the millions of different thoughts, which couldn't find harmony in his head.

"It was the best thing to do."

Sora tilted his head upwards, and looked around, but saw no one in the room with him. Then he looked at a mirror in front of him, and saw a reflection of his Shadow. It was grinning madly, while leaning towards the surface of the mirror, "You don't deserve people like him. I'm the only one who loves you and your miserable life."

"Shut… up…"

"There's no one else who could stand to watch a face like that. Do you really think that Riku never even cared about you? You saw what happened back in the classroom. You honestly can't think that he loves you after kissing Kairi in front of everyone. You're… merely a coward, who hides into his own world, just to escape the cruelty of the real world."

"I s-said shut up!" Sora cried and held his head.

"But you know that's true." The Shadow said coldly, the smirk never leaving his lips. Torturing Sora emotionally was one of its secret tactics it used against him, to gain more and more power over Sora and his body, "You don't deserve his love."

"**Shut up!**" Sora screamed and hit his balled fist on the mirror. The sharp shard made his hand bleed, but he couldn't care less, "I said **shut up**! **Shut up, shut up, shut up**! As if you knew anything about **my** life and **my** feelings! Get out of **my head**!"

The Shadow hmph-ed as he watched the surface of mirror burst into pieces. He grinned, as the fragments of mirror fell on the floor, "You think you could defeat me like that? And… is this how you thank me? After all these years… I've always been there for you. No one loves you… but me."

Sora let out a loud scream, as he covered his ears. He didn't want to hear any more. The fragments of the broken mirror fell on the sink, and some of them dropped down on the floor. The Shadow let out the last hatred filled laugh, before disappearing back to where it came from.

And the place where it came from was Sora's mind.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A/N: I kinda hoped that this chapter would have been more angsty but… oh well… Review? o.o


	6. Humiliation And Shame

**My Fatal Reality**

**About the story** – Yea, I don't know why, but somehow I found myself writing a new fiction about Kingdom Hearts. The **pairings** are RikuxSora?xSora, and many more. So if you don't like **shounen-ai**/**yaoi**, please don't read any further. **Bad grammar, angst, Sora- torturing, angst, dark themes, angst** and of course, **boy loving another boy** Oh yeah, and did I mention **angst**? This was first supposed to be DNAngel fic... But… I feel like writing KH stuff ;P

Oh yeah, also mild **Kairi-bashing**.

**Disclaimer** – I do not own Kingdom Hearts.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Chapter 06 – Humiliation And Shame

Sora was lying on his bed, his head buried into the white pillows. The silence was literally screaming, even though he knew he wasn't alone.

Suddenly, _they_ were everywhere. He didn't want to lift his head from the pillow, since he could sense their presence around him. He could feel their ghostly touches on his skin, as they walked past him. Silent sob escaped his lips, and few tears made the pillows wet.

Their faces were so distorted and their minds were as rotten as their bodies.

Sora tried to close his eyes, but the images of dead people filled his mind at that very moment. His eyes snapped open, and he just kept staring the blank surface of the pillows. His body trembled uncontrollably, as he could feel the piercing gazes of the illusions, which gathered around his bed. He was scared. So scared that he just wanted to scream and die away, but couldn't.

_Make it go away… please…_ Sora begged silently, even though, he knew that there would be no one to take his mental pain away. No one would hear him, even if he screamed his lungs out, nor even care if he just melted away.

He was alone, only accompanied by the horrible images, which his mind created. Those images, which never slept, never did anything, but reach their dead arms towards Sora, like waiting for him to save their corrupted souls. And no matter how many times he told himself that they weren't real, he still couldn't look into their faces… They looked so dead… like hot wax would have been poured on their faces, which made them look so distorted.

Sora something touch his back, and he let out a small cry. Fear would totally kill him, if the figures around his bed wouldn't fade away soon.

"Sora, get up."

The brown-haired boy could feel the cold touch of his Shadow on his skin. His body moved on his own, and he stood up, even though he had no intention of looking at those dead-like people, which surrounded him. He wanted to scream, but no sound escaped from his dry throat. Only thing he could do was stare into Shadow's yellow eyes.

"Sora, dear… You see that knife on that shelf?" The Shadow smirked, as he nodded his head towards the shelves, "Go get it. Now."

Somehow, Sora had lost all of his control over his own body. His mind fully obeyed the commands of the Shadow, as he reached out his hand to take the knife from the shelf. He knew what was going to happen next, and he closed his eyes.

"Now, come here, Sora."

Once again, his body moved, even though his mind refused it all. He stood in front of his Shadow, waiting for the next command, even though he knew what it would be, "You know what to do next Sora."

The brunette tried to stop his hands, as he pulled up his sweatshirt's sleeve. He sat on the floor, and pressed the sharp knife against his hand. He screamed mentally to his body to stop, but his words went to deaf ears. As the sharp object pierced his skin, a small scream crossed his lips.

"That's right Sora." Shadow said, as he kneeled down, next to Sora. The dead looking illusions had faded away, and now it was only he and his darkness in this cold room, "…This is how it feels like to be alone. But you know… this' all your fault."

Sora cried, as the blood started to pour down from his wrists. But he couldn't stop himself, and a cut after another appeared to his arms. The pain made his vision blurry, and the sight of blood made him want to throw up. Tears flowed down his eyes, and he looked at the Shadow, pleading look in his eyes, "Please… stop it…"

But the Shadow just laughed. Evil and empty laugh, which was both cold and amused, "Not yet. Not until you **beg** for mercy."

"Please!" Sora screamed, as he tilted his head upwards. He could taste the saltiness of his own tears, as they kept rolling down from his sky blue eyes. His other hand tightened its grip around the bloody knife, "Just make it stop, I'll do anything! **Please**!"

The Shadow chuckled, "Fine. You may stop now."

Sora let out a shaky, yet relieved sigh, as the knife fell from his grasp, into the small pond of blood. He could feel that his body was under his command once again and he wiped the tears from his cheeks, staining his face with his own blood.

"Get on the bed." Shadow said. But when Sora didn't move at all, it snorted in frustration, "You promised that you'd do anything. So **get on the bed** now."

Sora winced slightly, but stood up on his shaky knees, while holding his bleeding arm. He walked to his bed and sat on top of it, staring at his shadow, with teary eyes, "W-what are you g-gonna do n-now?"

The Shadow grinned, as he walked to Sora, and pushed him down on the bed, before lying on top of him. It placed its hand on Sora's thigh, "Don't worry, I'll make you forget that Riku for good."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Next morning, Sora couldn't even look into the mirror in his bathroom. He was so disgusted in himself that he just wanted to throw up. He couldn't stand the humiliation and the shame, which lingered in his mind. The things the Shadow had put him through made him hate himself and the whole world around him.

He sighed, as he changed the bandage around his bloody arm. Luca was sitting on the edge of the sink, glancing at Sora, concern in its eyes. The brunette sighed, and patted the teddy bear's head, feeling few stray tears make their way down his pale cheeks.

He just wanted to run away. Run away from his mind… from his life.

Images of the last night with his own Shadow brought a bitter taste into his mouth, and he kneeled over the sink, ready to throw up. Luca stared at him, as he kept coughing up his own saliva. He fell down on the floor, holding his stomach, since there was nothing to throw up in his stomach, and it hurt like hell.

Thank god today was Saturday. He didn't need to go to school and deal with all of the things they said. Those poisonous words they kept repeating all over and over again. So many times that even he started to believe them.

"Riku…" Sora mumbled suddenly, without even knowing why. He wanted to see him again… to kiss him again. He hoped that it would have been Riku instead of the Shadow last night…

But he knew, that there was nothing he could do to fix the situation. Maybe it was the destiny, which was playing tricks with him again. Maybe, he was destined to be alone for the rest of his life.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Zexion frowned, as he glanced at his brother, who sighed heavily repeatedly. He grabbed the remote controller and shut off the television and turned to look at Riku, who blinked quizzically.

"Okay, what's wrong, Riku?"

Riku blinked again, before shaking his head and leaning his back on the couch, "Nothing."

"Don't say that, I can clearly see that something's wrong." Zexion stated, as he patted Riku's shoulder and looked into his eyes, "C'mon you know you can tell me everything. Is it about that boy, who you're in love with?"

Riku opened his mouth to say something, but closed it quickly. Then he just shook his head, before pressing his palms against his eyes, "I'm such a loser… I really thought that he would like me back, but no… he suddenly just told me that he's not gay. I… just don't understand why he didn't say that earlier… Gah, I'm such an ass."

"Oh." Zexion said, and held his chin. Riku looked at him and folded his arms. The older one chuckled, "I mean… Have you tried to talk to him? Maybe he's just confused or something?"

"Zexion, you just don't understand, do you!" Riku yelled, as he stood up and gave fierce glares to his brother, "I screwed up! He doesn't swing that way! I'm just a stupid fag!"

Zexion stood up too, and folded his arms above his chest, "Listen up, young man. I think you're the on here, who's confused. Maybe you should try to calm down a little, and think this whole situation through again. Never try to find the truth with clouded eyes."

Riku bit his lip, and looked away from his brother. He knew that Zexion was right, but he couldn't help it. He didn't see any other possible explanations for Sora's behavior. Sora's rejection had broken his heart into so tiny pieces that he could barely see them. It honestly hurt more than a kick between his legs.

"Riku… After this weekend, when you get back to school, you need to talk with him." Zexion said to Riku, while sitting back down on the couch, "I've never seen you like that, and to be honest, it is rather scary. Yet, I'm happy for you that you finally found someone you really love."

Riku looked at Zexion. This situation wasn't something anyone should be happy for. This was a perfect disaster, and everything was in a mess… "You still don't get it, do you? You're more dense than Sora."

"Oh, so Sora is his name, right?" Zexion snickered, "Tell me something about him."

The younger silver-haired male sat down too, and placed his feet on Zexion's lap, "Well… he's really cute. Brown hair, and sky blue eyes… I've never seen prettier eyes than his… and he's so adorable when he pouts. He looks like a little puppy dog, because his eyes widen a little, and it's just too cute."

Zexion laughed and rubbed his temples, "You need to bring him here someday. Anyways, go on, go on."

"Heh heh, well… He has this little teddy bear, Luca. He carries it everywhere, and first I thought it was pretty stupid, but now I kinda understand why he does it…" Riku gritted his teeth sadly, "…He has no friends at the school. I don't know why everyone's so mean to him…"

Zexion lifted his eyebrow. He was about to say something, but the loud sound of doorbell stopped him. Riku's eyes widened, and he jumped behind the couch, "If it's Kairi, tell her I'm not home… I really don't feel like talking to her."

"Kairi?" Zexion asked, but didn't stay and wait for the reply from Riku, since the doorbell rang again, "I'm coming!"

The silver-haired man opened the door and saw a brunette girl standing behind it. She was wearing a really nice dress, and held a bucket of food in her hands, "Hey, I was off to a small picnic, with few of my friends, and I was just wondering if Riku's-…"

"No, he's not home, goodbye." Zexion said, before slamming the door close. He rolled his eyes, as he heard Kairi shouting something about rude people from behind the door, before walking away. He returned to the living room, and looked over the couch.

"Did she go away?" Riku said, as he climbed from behind the sofa and sat on it.

Zexion gave him a really long look, before shaking his head, "Okay, who's she?"

"Ehh…" Riku mumbled and scratched the back of his head, "Well… she's just my girlfriend."

Zexion froze and stared at his brother. Disbelief filled his eyes, "…A girlfriend?" he asked, before banging his head on the nearest wall, "…Riku, you really like to do these things in the hardest way, do you?"

"Well, I know it wasn't a good idea but…" Riku sighed, and he leaned his head on his palms, "…But when Sora told me that he didn't like me at all, I just… thought that there's nothing to lose. So, she asked me out and I told her yes. That's the end of the story. I feel nothing for her, I just am with her."

Zexion sat on the couch and placed his hand on Riku's shoulder, "You're the biggest idiot I have ever met… I don't understand why you can't be as clever as I am… I mean honestly."

"Pfft whatever."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sora watched, as Aerith was folding some of his clothes. He held Luca close to his chest, and had really hard time trying to keep his eyes open. Last night was totally sleepless, because of the reasons we all know very well.

Suddenly something hit Sora. He looked at Aerith and said, "Aerith? I-I suddenly realized that you have same name as my mom… I d-don't understand why I haven't noticed it before. And… you look like her too…"

Aerith winced, and turned around. She smiled to Sora, before walking to him and kneeling right in front of him, "Yes, I know Sora." She said calmly and her smile grew only wider, "But don't worry about it. I just happen to have same name as her, but there's nothing else in common with me and her."

Sora blinked and was about to say something, but loud voices coming from downstairs cut him off. He blinked and looked towards his closed door. It was weird that someone was talking that loud… usually there weren't any noise at all in this large palace-like house. Aerith looked over her shoulder and frowned.

"What's going on?" Sora asked as he stood up and ran to his door, Luca pressed against his stomach. He tiptoed to the end of the stairway, so he could see to downstairs, without getting caught.

"You are insane Sephiroth!"

Sora saw a brown-haired woman, who was folding her arms above her chest and looking angrily at Sephiroth, who remained emotionless. She seemed to get angry because of the silver-haired man's apathetic attitude, "Are you even listening what I'm saying to you?"

"No, not really." Sephiroth replied coldy, "I have no interest to listen your endless babbling about your sister, Yuna."

Yuna inhaled a deep breath. Even though everyone could tell that she was so angry that she wanted to slam Sephiroth's head to the wall, she somehow managed to reclaim her calm smile, just by counting from then to zero quietly, "I know you did something to Aerith. She hasn't even called me, or anything, ever since she left."

"That's definitely not my problem." Sephiroth said.

Yuna, who was now facing her back to Sora, snorted, "It's your fault that she left. Even though I don't know where she went or when she's coming back, I bet it still has something to do with you."

Sephiroth just shrugged, before turning around and walking away, marking the end of the conversation.

Sora stood up, and tried to sneak away, but when he turned around, his feet somehow slipped on the slippery marble floor, and he fell backwards. His head hit the first steps of the stairway, and he started to roll down them, each step giving a painful blow to his back.

Yuna watched as the brunette boy rolled down the stairs, and she slapped her hand in front of her mouth. As Sora stopped rolling, Yuna ran to him and kneeled down next to him. She gave him a concerned look, as she placed her hand on his head, "Oh my god, are you okay!"

Sora groaned and held his head. The world around him spun oddly, as he tried to sit up, "Y-yeah I'm o-okay…" Sora replied, though he wasn't too sure. He touched the back of his head, and saw a drop of blood on his finger.

"Oh my god, you're bleeding!" Yuna said, as she helped the boy up from the floor, "Okay, where's the bathroom?"

Sora pointed hastily towards one of the closed doors, and Yuna started to drag him towards it. She tore the door open and they entered into a large bathroom. Everything was made of marble or porcelain. It was too white for Yuna's taste, but she didn't find the moment suitable for complaining.

Yuna took a piece of paper, and moistened it a little. Then she pressed it against back of Sora's head and sighed, "You should be more careful next time. I thought you was going to die when you rolled down those stairs."

The brown-haired boy looked at the woman in front of him. She reminded him of someone, he just couldn't tell who…

Yuna seemed to notice the pondering look on Sora's face, "Something wrong, dear?"

"I… uhh…" Sora mumbled, as he looked down, "It's nothing… You just resemble someone I know, I just don't know who…"

Yuna laughed and patted Sora's head. She was done cleaning the blood from back of the boy's head, and she leaned down and placed a quick and motherly kiss on Sora's forehead, "Aerith would be proud of you. You've grown into a very fine boy, Sora."

"Huh?" Sora asked, but Yuna had already left the bathroom. Quickly, Sora got up and ran to his room. He opened the door and dashed to the shelf, which had few pictures on it, and stopped in front of it. He eyed the picture of a young woman, whose other eye was green and the other one was blue.

It was she. Sora had always wondered, who was this woman in this picture, until now. But still, he didn't understand why he had a picture of Yuna… Even though he seemed rather familiar, he just couldn't remember who she was.

But wait a second… she was talking about her sister to Sephiroth… Sora bit his lip, and frowned thoughtfully. Maybe the one Yuna was talking about, was Aerith? They sure had pretty much in common… The way Yuna talked to Sora, reminded him about his mother, who used to care so much about him…

Sora leaned his head on the shelf. He knew what had happened. He knew that Aerith wasn't on a work trip. That night when he had seen her last time… he knew very well, it was the reason of her absence.

(_Flashback_)

"_Shut up bitch." Sephiroth said, as he slammed his hand across Aerith's cheek. The woman fell on the floor, holding her face, and groaning in pain, "Don't try to fuck with me. I know you slept with him you slut."_

"_Sephiroth, listen…!"_

"_No, I'm through listening those things you keep telling me, 'rith." Sephiroth growled. He was clearly intoxicated, which could be seen from the way he spoke or walked. He kneeled in front of the brown-haired woman and picked her up from her collar, "Don't tell me you'd freaking understand what it feels like to find out that your own son isn't yours at all."_

_Sora looked through a slightly opened door, while pulling Luca close to his chest. He tried to act as invisible as possible, though he couldn't help but let out small whimpers and cries, as he watched the fight between his parents._

"_Sephiroth…" Aerith gritted her teeth, as she slowly couldn't feel the floor beneath her feet anymore, "…Couldn't we t-talk!"_

"_Talk? **Talk**?" Sephiroth said, before throwing Aerith against a wall, and leaning close to her face, "There's nothing to talk about. You cannot save him from me. I'll kill him sooner or later, just you wait."_

_The brunette woman gasped for air, as the grip around her collar tightened, "S-Sephiroth! Put me down! Now!"_

"_Shut up! You don't give orders in my house! I know you only married me for money, you cold-hearted witch, but you know what?" The silvery haired man chuckled, "…Your attracting-spell isn't working anymore. You know that I can see the greedy bitch beneath the mask now?"_

_Few tears came to Aerith's eyes, as she tried to fight free from her husband's grip, "No, it's not that! I love you, not your money! And about him, he's…"_

"_Shut up!" Sephiroth said, before throwing Aerith on the floor and taking few steps backwards, "I'm not surprised if the **other one**'s not mine either." He said before turning around and walking towards the door._

_Sora's eyes widened, as his father tore the door open and looked down at him. His eyes were filled with so much hatred, that it nearly made the young boy cry. A cold smile came to Sephiroth's lips, as he lifted Sora up from the floor and started to walk towards some unknown direction, "C'mon Sora, It's time for you to go to sleep."_

_The coldness in Sephiroth's voice made Sora shiver, but he was too afraid to say any words of protest. He could hear Aerith yelling something to Sephiroth, but he couldn't understand the meaning of all those words._

_Sephiroth placed him on his bed and pulled the blanket over him, before leaving and closing the door. Sora could hear the loud 'click' that the door's lock made, as Sephiroth locked it. _

_Tears came to Sora's eyes, as the yelling never stopped. He hugged Luca, as he could hear his father cussing at Aerith, and slamming her against some wall again. There was a loud scream, and loud footsteps._

_The young Sora trembled under the blanket, as he covered his ears, hoping that it all would just stop. He didn't understand why they were fighting or when did it start, but he just couldn't stand it anymore. Silent sobs could be heard from beneath the white covers, as Sora cried himself into the restless slumber, just so he didn't have to hear his parent's fighting again._

_Maybe tomorrow they could be a happy family once again…_

(_End Of The Flashback_)

Sora sighed and was about to hugged Luca, before placing it on the shelf. He knew that Aerith wasn't coming back. Not only because of the fight… there was a lot more than that. But he couldn't allow himself remember them. No, not now… those memories would only make it all worse.

He looked over his shoulder and found it empty, for his relief. He didn't want to see _them_ now.

Suddenly his door slammed open, and Sephiroth walked in. Sora blinked his eyes, since he couldn't remember the last time his father had stepped into his room. But soon the surprise replaced with hatred and anger. Sora hadn't still forgotten the events of the schoolyard… How Sephiroth had just watched him to get beaten up and then left.

"What did that woman say to you?" Sephiroth asked, as he eyed Sora's room.

"N-nothing. Why?"

Sephiroth frowned, and looked like he didn't believe Sora. He folded his arms above his chest, "Sora, I don't have time to play games with you. Tell me, did she say anything to you?"

"She didn't say anything!" Sora said, and backed few steps, as Sephiroth started to approach him. The brunette didn't like the look in his father's eyes, "…I-I swear!"

Sephiroth was now standing right in front of Sora. His whole appearance made the younger one shudder in fear. Sora tried to blend with the wall behind his back, when his father stepped even closer and leaned towards him. He lifted his arms to protect his head, since he was pretty sure that his father could break his nose pretty easily…

His whole body started to tremble, and he didn't know how long he could remain standing still. He was so scared of the man in front of him… He knew what he could do. He had _seen_ what he had done when he was angry.

But the silver-haired man just backed off and chuckled, "Okay I believe you. But if she says something, don't believe her. She's a lying bitch." He informed, before leaving.

Sora's knees gave up and he fell on the floor. Seeing his father like that really scared him. He bowed his head and looked down at the cold floor.

The only thing he wanted to do, was run away.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A/N: Hmm… Oh well, don't have anything to say about this chapter. So… review? o.o


	7. Too Close To See

**My Fatal Reality**

**About the story** – Yea, I don't know why, but somehow I found myself writing a new fiction about Kingdom Hearts. The **pairings** are RikuxSora?xSora, and many more. So if you don't like **shounen-ai**/**yaoi**, please don't read any further. **Bad grammar, angst, Sora- torturing, angst, dark themes, angst** and of course, **boy loving another boy** Oh yeah, and did I mention **angst**? This was first supposed to be DNAngel fic... But… I feel like writing KH stuff ;P

Oh yeah, also mild **Kairi-bashing**.

**Disclaimer** – I do not own Kingdom Hearts.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Chapter 07 – Too Close To See

Monday finally came. Sora entered the school's hall, and immediately spotted Riku, sitting with Kairi and some other popular student. The brunette immediately bowed his head quickly, as he walked past the silver-haired teen. He could feel intense glares burning on his neck, as he tried to pass him the fastest he could.

He took Luca from his bag, and hugged it, as he jumped behind a corner.

No matter how much he tried to forget the Shadow, he couldn't. He just couldn't forget how it felt like to caressed by his replica. The image of the Shadow doing things to him… things only someone Sora loved was allowed to do.

This whole thing made him sick. And that was probably the reason why he possibly couldn't look into Riku's eyes never again. It felt like he had cheated on him, even though they weren't even together. He had never before hated himself as much as he did now.

"Sora?"

The poor brown-haired boy nearly fell on his butt, as he saw Riku standing right in front of him. He gasped, as he leaned his back on the wall, carefully keeping his eyes on the greyish floor. He held Luca's hand in his left hand, while his other arm was over his chest.

Riku frowned, as he pressed his palm against the wall, right next to Sora's head, and supported his weight by his arm, "Okay, Sora. I think you have some explaining to do."

Sora gulped loudly, never looking up at the silver-haired boy. He was afraid that he hated him, because of all the things he had said… all those things he never wanted to tell him. Why it was so much easier to lie than to tell the truth? Even if his feelings would be rejected, Riku still would know the truth, so what was still stopping him?

Riku leaned downer and downer, soon his nose was buried into Sora's brown locks. The said one's eyes widened, and he winced visibly as he could feel the silver-haired boy's breathing. Sora couldn't help but look up at those amazing sea-green eyes. Immediately he could feel a stung of guiltiness in his heart, and he knew that Riku saw it too.

"R-R-Riku, I don't think that we should…" Sora mumbled, as he understood the situation. He winced again, as he felt Riku's other hand clutching shoulder.

That hold reminded him of his Shadow. He shrugged his shoulder, making Riku loosen his grip, but he still didn't let go. The silver-haired boy didn't seem to understand how this whole scene was slowly driving Sora over the edge.

They could call themselves lucky, because there was no one but them in that corridor.

The silver-haired boy sighed into Sora's hair, before moving his lips downwards. Their noses were touching, and both of them could feel each other's breath on their lips.

Butterflies started to fly in Sora's stomach and his heart pumped faster than ever. He could feel a tiny drop of sweat fall down his temple, as Riku seemed to slowly come even closer and closer.

Yet, this all reminded him of the night with his own Shadow… it made him feel sick and guilty, and he just wanted to push Riku away.

Still, part of him wanted to agree with this situation and lean towards Riku, but something deep inside of him told him to stop. Maybe it was conscience, or something else… Because this whole thing with Riku seemed so _right_, yet he was afraid of facing the consequences… afraid of the Shadow and its twisted intentions.

"Riku, p-please stop… I-I can't do this…" Sora mumbled, as he could feel Riku's silky lips nearly touching his. In reality, he wanted Riku to continue, but on the other hand, it was his other reality, which wanted him to stop.

The silver-haired boy pulled away, a disappointed look on his face. He turned around and walked away slowly. Before disappearing behind a corner, he looked over his shoulder at Sora, a painful smile plastered on his lips.

That smile made Sora's heart crack into pieces. He had never seen that much hurt and pain before.

The brown-haired boy fell on the floor, and leaned his back on the wall. Luca was now sitting on his lap, and looked up at Sora. The said one could see the concern in the teddy bear's eyes… Though, they always held a little bit concern, but this time there was more of it than usually.

"Sora?"

Sora looked up at the direction where his name had been called. He saw the principal Rinoa standing there, sad frown on her features. She walked to the boy and kneeled down in front of him, "Come with me." She said, as she helped Sora up from the floor.

"W-where to?" Sora mumbled. He had to bite his lip, so the sobs couldn't cross them. He followed Rinoa up the stairs, to her office.

The principal shut the door quietly behind her back. She watched as Sora walked to the couch nearby the window and sat down on it. His expression was something beyond sad. Rinoa had never before seen anyone look so broken. It was like sentenced to death, and there was no hope left, to lighten up that angelic face. He looked so innocent, yet clearly guilty over something.

Rinoa rubbed her temples wearily, as she walked to the couch and sat down next to Sora. The young man hugged Luca, never looking up at the dark-haired woman.

"Sora, did something happen?"

The brunette quickly shook his head.

Rinoa frowned, and placed her hand on Sora's shoulder. That gestured made the boy wince and back away from the principal. Her frown grew even deeper, "Did… Riku do something to you? Did he force you into something you weren't ready to do?"

A sad pout came to Sora's lips, and his eyes became wet. He shook his head again, holding Luca tighter and tighter all the time. He hoped that it had been Riku… he really did. But he couldn't tell the truth to Rinoa. She'd never understand what it felt like to be abused by someone you've created by yourself.

Suddenly the boy launched himself on the dark-haired woman, who blinked few times.

"They just won't go away…" Sora mumbled to the principal's shoulder, "I-I don't know what I've done wrong… t-they never go away! E-everytime I close my eyes… I see them… and then it comes and does the things I beg it not to do…"

Rinoa frowned and grabbed Sora's shoulders. She pushed him away slightly, so she could look into his bright blue eyes, "Who? Who's 'it'? What did 'it' do to you?" she asked, shaking Sora from his shoulders, maybe a little bit more violently than she had meant, "C'mon Sora? Answer me…"

But Sora just shook his head, and looked away, just to hide his teary eyes. He couldn't tell Rinoa… he just simply couldn't put the things he saw into words. When he tried to describe the things around him, nothing made sense anymore. In his eyes it was clear and true, but when he thought back, it was merely a disordered mess.

Rinoa couldn't understand what Sora meant or tried to say.

She decided that it was time to do some research.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

When Riku returned back to his so-called friends, they all glanced at him. When he had left, he had been normal, but now that he had come back he looked like he would be ready to kill everyone who'd get on his way.

Kairi, however, was too stupid to understand the danger, and snaked her arm around the boy's waist, "Oh Riku, you look a little bit down? What happened?" she chirped, smiling widely, while nuzzling her head against the silver-haired boy's shoulder.

Riku narrowed his eyes angrily, before shoving Kairi away. But the brunette didn't seem to mind being treated like piece of dirt. She just hmph-ed and watched as walked away loudly. She smiled at her friends and shrugged her shoulder, "Man, he's like PMSing or something. Never seen any boy acting like that before."

All of them started to laugh, but Riku didn't care, nor even heard them.

He knew that he had got upset over such a small thing. Still, being rejected by Sora again hurt. He had thought that he was ready to face it, but looks like he was wrong. Maybe rejection wasn't something you could really prepare for.

He just wanted to be with Sora. He wanted to hold him close and tell him how much he loved him… how much he really needed him. But he couldn't. Sora would never accept his feelings. And even if he did, Riku didn't know how long he would be able to deal with the world, which would probably be against of their relationship.

Riku walked out of the school building. He knew that his next lesson would start soon, but he didn't care. When he was being like this, he wouldn't learn anything anyways, so what was the point in sitting there?

The silver-haired man saw a familiar cherry tree. This place brought back some memories of Sora… how he had first really met him here. Sitting on the largest branch of the tree, talking to his teddy bear Luca. At first, Riku had found it pretty odd, but now that he thought about it, it was merely cute.

Everything Sora said, did or was, was just too cute.

Riku sighed, as he climbed on the cherry tree, and sat on the branch, on which he and Sora had shared his lunch and the brunette had ran away from him for the first time. But… when he had kissed Sora in the principal's office, he could swear that he had felt love behind those small gestures the younger one had done.

Maybe it wasn't over yet. Maybe there was just something that kept Sora pushing Riku away. It could be because of shame or fear. Maybe this all was just too much for Sora to take, and he needed time to deal with all the things.

Riku leaned his back on the tree and smiled to himself.

He just had to hope that everything would be all right again.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Rinoa stood in front of Sora's house, only few hours later. She inhaled a deep breath, as she lifted her hand and knocked on the large wooden door. She waited for a while, but there was no reply. She moved nervously around and toyed with her hair, waiting for a little bit longer time, for someone to come and open the door.

She knew that it wasn't a good idea to come here all by herself… But she didn't want to get Squall too involved in her things.

Suddenly, the door opened, and a young woman with maid's costume stood there. She looked at Rinoa, and lifted her eyebrow, "Might I ask, what brings you here and who are you?"

"I am Rinoa Heartily. I'm working as a principal in the school where Sora goes." She explained, bowing her head politely, "I was hoping to exchange few words with Sephiroth. Is he at home at the moment?"

The maid bit her lip and looked over her shoulder. Then she sighed and stepped out of the way, so Rinoa could enter the house, "Fine. I do not think that Lord Sephiroth is in a mood to talk with you. Or with anyone…" she said weakly.

"Don't worry." The young principal smiled, "This shouldn't take too long."

"Very well. His room is right in the end of this corridor. And whatever happens… do not open the door right next to his room, I beg you." The maid said quietly, before hurrying away. Rinoa lifted her eyebrow at her, before shrugging and heading towards Sephiroth's room.

When she reached the door, she stopped walking and listened a while. Absolute silence surrounded her and made chills run down her spine. She had to admit that big houses like this were creepy.

She knocked on the door of Sephiroth's room. But deadly silence continued.

The door next to Rinoa opened. That was the room the maid had warned her about. She watched as it opened with loud creaking sound, revealing a dark room. However, the black-haired woman managed to hold her curiosity. Some things aren't just meant to be seen, and are better left all alone. Some of the secrets aren't mean to be solved.

Faint music started to play in the room, which door had just mysteriously opened. Rinoa looked down at the floor, trying to recall the familiar sounding song. She bit her lip, and knocked on Sephiroth's door once again.

Soon Rinoa couldn't stand it anymore. She took few slow steps towards the door, and looked inside. She saw long stairway, leading to shadows. She didn't like darkness too much, but couldn't stop herself anymore.

The principal didn't understand why the maid had warned her about the room. What could possibly happen? Maybe angry Sephiroth would appear and ask her to leave, but what's the big deal?

As she reached the end of the stairway, she sniffed the air. It smelled musty and damp. The floor was covered with dust, but those were the only things Rinoa could tell about the room. She slid her hand against the wall, searching for a light switch.

Soon a dim light lightened the room, as Rinoa clicked the old designed switch.

The black-haired woman frowned. There was only a small table, covered with pile of papers and a small shelf right next to it. On the floor, there was a disturbing looking stain... Rinoa didn't know what had been spilled there, and she wasn't sure if she even wanted to know. She looked around a little bit more, and saw a coffin-looking thing in the end of the small room.

Rinoa walked to the desk, and looked at the papers. She couldn't help but feel pretty rude, because of barging in like this… but then again, maybe this was just what she had been looking for. The reason of Aerith's absence and Sora's weird behaviour.

She picked up few of the papers. They seemed like pages torn off of a diary or a journal. Her eyes widened slightly, as she started reading.

_I've been sitting here for such a long time that I've already lost the track of time. Sitting here, writing the story of my life, while waiting for Sephiroth to let me out of here. I'm getting cold and hungry. I feel my sanity slip away, since it's only me and my thoughts in this empty room. Sometimes I can hear faint music playing. It creeps into my soul and makes me want to pull my hair out._

_I don't know how long I'll be able to take this anymore. I know that Sephiroth's not a bad person. He didn't lock me down here because of that… I love him and I always will._

Rinoa picked up another paper, reading faster this time.

_Someone please help me. I'm scared. I'm soon giving up hoping that Sephiroth would come and let me out of here. He put he in here for a reason. Maybe he wanted to put me through the same pain I made him go through. I killed him mentally, so he seeks revenge and will kill me physically._

_I love my sons. I love both of them. I just hope that they're safe and far away from Sephiroth's reach. I love my husband too, and I know that I deserve die right here. This might be my tomb, but I'm positive that my story will live on, once someone finds these papers. _

_I'll say one more time, Sephiroth's not a bad person. I killed him first._

The young principal gasped. Could this be Aerith's writing? And if it was… It would mean that she wasn't away on some work trip. It would mean that she was right here, in this same room with her. Rinoa looked at the coffin.

Aerith had been closer than she had thought, all this time.

Rinoa shook her head and took another paper from the table.

_I can't take it anymore. This place is nothing compared to the prison of my mind. Sephiroth knows I'm afraid of dark and closed places. He knew that this place would kill me. But I still can't think him as a bad person. No. He's the most loyal and sweetest person I've ever met. I love him… and I hope that he'll forgive me someday._

_I shall lay down now. This will be the last page I'm going to write. I'm scared what might come, after I close my eyes and leave this world._

_I hope that my sons are all right._

The black-haired woman looked down. She never knew that Aerith more than one child. A loud and sad sigh escaped her lips and few tears rolled down her cheeks. The story behind her friend was a lot darker and sadder than she had thought.

She had never thought that Sephiroth could actually murder someone like Aerith… she was the most beautiful and nicest woman you could find on the earth. She was a model of perfection.

Even though, word 'perfect' shouldn't be say so lightly. Humans aren't made to be perfect. We all make mistakes, and end up being worse than we meant. The righteous road is so narrow and the attractions of evil are too powerful.

Rinoa took few awkward paces towards the coffin. She knew that her friend would be lying there. She ran her hand on the surface of the coffin. Beautiful designs were crafted on it.

The smell, which lingered above the trunk, made Rinoa wrinkle her nose. She took few steps backwards, feeling tears falling down her eyes, all the way to her jaw. She wiped them off quickly, while lowering her head.

Suddenly something painful pierced her stomach. She fell on the ground, screaming in pain. Warm feeling filled her lungs and blood started to drip down from the corners of her mouth. She touched her back, and felt a small hole in it.

"You know too much."

Rinoa tried to look over her shoulder, but the pain kept her paralysed. But even if she didn't see the figure behind her back, holding the gun in the air, she knew who it was, "You… killed… her…" she managed to pain between sharp gasps. It was hard to breathe, making every inhalation cause more pain than the bullet itself.

"It's just like she said in her writings. She killed me emotionally, that's why I killed her physically." The cold voice of Sephiroth's echoed in the room, "…She accepted her fate. You should better learn to do the same too."

Rinoa opened her mouth to say something, but couldn't. She balled her fists weakly, feeling the cold floor underneath her.

"Knowledge… can be so fatal sometimes. As a principal, you should have known it." The silver-haired man said, before turning around and walking away.

The principal could hear footsteps carrying away. She felt warm, yet somehow cold. The blood in her lungs made her cough painfully all over and over again, blood spilling all over the floor. She cursed mentally and salty tears rolled down from her eyes again.

There was so much she had wanted to do… So many things left to see and experience.

Rinoa's pupils widened and all of her movement froze.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

As the last lessons ended, students filled the entrance hall, everyone ready to go home. They smiled and waved to their friends and walked away to different directions, happy that yet another school day had ended.

Sora walked near a wall with Luca. Few people shoved his shoulder painfully, he didn't know if it was by accident or not.

The brunette looked down at the floor, in order to avoid the few despising glares he gained. He didn't understand what he had done to them today, but did it really matter? It was always like this. Innocent will always be blamed, while the guilty ones ran freely around.

Suddenly someone grabbed Sora's shoulder and slammed him against the wall. He let out a loud scream of pain, as a strong arm grabbed his wrist, which still had pretty fresh cut wounds from Shadow's yesterday's 'play'.

Sora looked up at his attacker, and saw a red-haired boy, who was way much taller than him. Kairi was standing behind him, poking her tongue out.

"Kairi told me that you made her sad." The boy with flaming red hair stated calmly, while tightening his grip around Sora's hand, not understanding why it hurt the other one so much, "…And I don't like people who make her upset."

Sora let out a loud scream, as the other one twisted his wrist. Luca fell on the floor, unable to do anything to help poor brunette, who was squirming in pain, "L-l-let m-me go! I-I've do-done n-no-nothing!"

"Yes you did!" Kairi screamed suddenly, stepping between him and the taller boy, "Leave Riku alone!"

Sora opened his mouth to protest, but gained a hard slap across his face. Kairi held her hand in the air for a little moment, before letting it fall down on her side. A devilish grin grew to her lips, as she took few steps backwards, letting the red-haired male finish his work.

The brunette held his cheek with his free hand. He looked around and saw students gathering around them. Watching, as he would get beaten up for something he hadn't done. He knew that they would just laugh and persuade the other one to go on and beat him to the pulp.

"Let this be the last time you mess around with Kairi." The red-haired man said, "Got it memorized?"

Sora saw the older one ball his fist and lift it in the air, preparing to deliver a hard blow on his cheek. The brown-haired boy yelped and closed his eyes, quickly lifting his other arm in front of his face.

He waited for the punch to come.

But it never came.

"That is quite enough."

Sora looked up and saw Cloud holding the redhead's fist. The blonde boy grabbed the boy, who was only slightly taller than him, from his collar and narrowed his eyes at him, "…It's sad to see a guy like you attacking younger ones. Talk about a coward."

The grip around Sora's other hand loosened, before the red-haired boy completely pulled away. He, too, narrowed his eyes, and grabbed Cloud's collar, just to return the favor, "…They say that pretty boys die young." He said, while tightening his grip.

But Cloud didn't even wince. He just stood there, staring at the other one.

Suddenly, there was loud cursing coming from 'the audience' and another blonde boy shoved some of the students out of his way. He ran next to the red-haired boy and grabbed his hand, which was holding Cloud's collar, "Axel, stop it!"

"Go away, _Roxas_." Axel hissed, his grip never loosening, "…Keep your nose out of my business."

Roxas puffed his cheeks a little. Then he turned around and glanced at the people around them, folding his hands over his chest. He spun around one more time, and looked at Sora, who was sitting on the floor, holding his wrist.

"Axel, please!" Roxas said, a little bit louder than before, "Everyone's watching!"

The red-haired man looked at Cloud's angry eyes for a while longer, and slowly let go. He snorted, before shrugging his shoulders, "Fine." He mumbled, as he grabbed Roxas' arm, and started to pull him through the students, who were still watching the scene.

Kairi lifted her eyebrow, "Hey, Axel? Where do you think you are going!" she yelled, but was completely ignored. She let out a loud and frustrated growl, before walking away loudly.

Cloud watched as the students started to leave slowly, leaving only him and Sora in the middle of the corridor.

The blonde one kneeled in front of Sora, looking at him, "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah…" The brunette mumbled, never looking up at the other one. It felt weird to be saved from someone… no one had ever before done that to him. Usually everyone just stood back and watched, as he got beaten up. Never had anyone stepped between him and the bully. Not before Cloud.

The blonde tilted his head to his side a little, "Are you sure? You look pretty pale and all."

Sora nodded his head, trying to convince the other one that he was all right now. He picked up Luca and stood up. His knees were a little bit shaky, but he still managed to stand still.

"Thank you, Cloud." Sora said, smiling a little, but never looking into Cloud's eyes.

"Hey, it's no problem." Cloud said, and patted the shorter one's shoulder, smiling widely all of the time, "I just can't stand people like him. Though, it was probably that girl who provoked him to do that, but still… That girl's a bitch."

Sora tried not to laugh, but failed and ended up giggling quietly. The blonde boy couldn't help but smile at him. He probably didn't understand how cute he really was. And for some weird reason, Cloud felt some kind of brotherly instincts towards the brown-haired boy. He felt like it was his duty to watch over him, even though he barely knew him.

Still, he couldn't help the nagging voice in the back of his mind, telling that he should know Sora. It was like the answer was right in front of his eyes, too close to see.

Cloud shook his head to drive his thoughts away, only to notice that Sora had already left.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A/N: Don't get me wrong, there won't be any AxelxKairi in this story. And I haven't played KH II yet (because it hasn't been released here yet dang it…) so I really don't know if Roxas is being OOC in this story or not. Spare my life and review please. xD


	8. Death

**My Fatal Reality**

**About the story** – Yea, I don't know why, but somehow I found myself writing a new fiction about Kingdom Hearts. The **pairings** are RikuxSora?xSora, and many more. So if you don't like **shounen-ai**/**yaoi**, please don't read any further. **Bad grammar, angst, Sora- torturing, angst, dark themes, angst** and of course, **boy loving another boy** Oh yeah, and did I mention **angst**? This was first supposed to be DNAngel fic... But… I feel like writing KH stuff ;P

Oh yeah, also mild **Kairi-bashing**.

**Disclaimer** – I do not own Kingdom Hearts.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Chapter 08 – Death

When Sora returned home, he felt odd atmosphere surrounding him. He didn't know what had happened, but he didn't like the feeling he got, as he stepped inside. It was somehow even quieter than usually.

The brunette shook his head and kicked his shoes off. Before he could even think about going to his room, he saw Rinoa coming from behind a corner, running her hand through her dark hair. Sora lifted his eyebrow, wondering what she was doing here.

"Oh, Sora." The principal smiled to the boy, as she noticed him. Something in her was different than usually. Sora couldn't tell what it was, but the difference just was there. Maybe she had been talking with his father and something had gone wrong? No… she wasn't different like that…

"W-w-what are you doing here?" Sora asked, suddenly feeling extremely nervous for some reason.

Rinoa smiled as sweetly as she could, "It's nothing. I just wanted to speak with your father. Everything's okay." She said, as she walked past the brown-haired boy, towards the door. But before she opened it, she turned around and looked at Sora, "Is something wrong?"

The brunette teen took few steps backwards. He quickly shook his head, before running away, up the stairs and to his room.

He slammed the door close and leaned his back on it. He placed his hand on his chest, on top of the place where he could feel his heart pounding rapidly. He closed his eyes and inhaled deep breaths, trying to calm himself down.

He didn't know what had gotten into him. Quickly he slipped his back bag from his shoulders and opened it. He picked up Luca, and hugged the teddy bear close to his chest, few tear drops falling from his eyes and landing on Luca's forehead, "What's wrong with me Luca? This' not normal…"

But the teddy bear just kept staring into the nothingness, the same glimpse of concern in its eyes.

Sora's shoulders trembled, as he pressed his forehead against Luca's. He was now crying out loud, and yet he had no clue why. Just because of seeing Rinoa and felt something weird, he already lost all of the control over himself and broke into desperate sobs. He didn't even know what was wrong with the young principal, but he couldn't help but feel terrified.

This feeling was just something he couldn't describe. It made him feel cold all over and oppressed.

Sora bit his lip and opened his eyes. He saw feet of his Shadow, right in front of him. Afraid of looking up, the brunette clutched Luca closer to his chest. But he couldn't avoid his fate any longer, as a hand snaked into his hair, grabbing a fistful of it and pulling him up.

There was no point in resisting. It would only make it all worse.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Zexion let out a loud sigh, as he saw his brother walking through the front door. Riku's expression said more than thousand words. The older silver-haired man took his reading glasses away and placed the book he had been reading on the table next to the couch and stood up.

"Don't say anything." Riku warned his brother, lifting his hand into the air and quickly walking past Zexion, "…I don't wanna hear any more of your stupid psychology."

Zexion chuckled, and grabbed his brother's shoulder, before he was able to proceed to his room, "So you didn't follow my advice?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer, "So you're just going to let him go?"

Riku slapped Zexion's hand away and narrowed his eyes at the other one, "No. I'm just going to give him some time to think this all through. I'm just probably advancing too fast." He explained, while rubbing his temples. He knew that he didn't sound too convincing, but he didn't feel like acting anything that he wasn't at the moment.

"Ah I see." Zexion replied and folded his arms above his chest. He glanced Riku from head to toes. An odd look swept over his face, as he pushed his brother to sit down on the couch, "…Look, I have a plan."

The younger one of the siblings rolled his eyes, giving Zexion 'not again…'-look.

"Aww, don't be like that." The silver-haired man said, smiling a little, "You know where Sora lives, right?"

Riku looked at his brother, before nodding his head slowly. He wasn't sure whether he liked the look in Zexion's eyes or not, "Y-yeah, I know where he lives… Why?" he finally replied unsurely, frowning deeply.

The older one's smile just grew wider, as he placed his hands on Riku's shoulders, giving him a gentle squeeze, "Perfect. We are going there tonight and kidnap him."

Riku stared his brother, dull look on his face, "…We are going to do _what_?"

"You heard me." Zexion said, folding his arms above his chest and nodding his head firmly, "We'll go abduct him, so you can take him out and spend some romantic time together. Maybe you could sing a ballad underneath his window, then climb up and steal your Juliet's heart… Ohh, so romantic…"

Riku couldn't help but keep staring at his brother. He couldn't actually be serious about this… Kidnap Sora? The younger one of the two wondered if his brother had finally lost all of his sanity, "That's the craziest plan you've ever made. And it would never work either. I mean honestly…"

Zexion inhaled a deep breath and closed his eyes. How could Riku be so rude and not appreciate his wonderful plans? He turned around, and was now facing his back to his brother. It would be really romantic if Riku climbed through his window and jumped into his bed and then would do… erm, let's just censor the rest of the events.

"Zexion…" Riku interrupted his brother's thoughts, "What do you think that I would accomplish by abducting him? Like I said, I'm probably advancing too fast, which makes him feel awkward when I'm around."

The older male turned around and readied his hand to slap Riku for being so stupid and acting all gold-hearted. Zexion knew Riku the best. He knew how badly he wanted to do naughty things to Sora. It was easy to tell by the look of his eyes, when he was talking about him.

"Don't try act all innocent and pure, Riku." Zexion stated, trying to fight against the urge to slap the other one, "I know how much you just want to make him yours."

Riku opened his mouth to protest, but closed it soon afterwards. Zexion was right, yet he was wrong. Of course he wanted that Sora would be his, but still he didn't want to force the brunette do anything he didn't want to do. He just sighed and shook his head, "You don't understand this at all. This' not an ordinary crush. This' something much deeper."

"I know that." Zexion said, "That's exactly why you have to do it."

Riku stood up, giving his brother an angry glare, "You still don't get it do you? I don't need your stupid plans to ruin the only small thing I have left!" he said, a little bit loudly that he had intended, "Maybe it's only stupid to think that I'd maybe still have some kind of chances with him."

Zexion watched as his brother walked away to his room, making sure to slam the door close so hard that it made the walls around it shake.

The silver-haired man shook his head in defeat. Riku was a lot denser than he had thought.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Roxas looked at the red-haired boy, who was sitting next to him, as they were riding a bus to their homes. But Axel just resisted watching back at his companion, keeping his eyes gazing hollowly out of the window. He could feel the intense glare he gained from the blonde boy, but didn't feel like returning it at the moment.

Roxas seemed to realize soon that he was being ignored and snorted loudly, "You're such a jerk Axel." He stated, pouting slightly.

Axel chuckled coldly, and reached his hand out to ruffle his friend's hair, "Oh Roxie, Roxie. You simply have no clue whatsoever." He said, leaning his head on the cold window, watching as scenery changed rapidly, "World isn't as black and white as you think."

"I know it's not." Roxas said, shifting his position slightly, so he could watch out of the window too, "But I still don't understand why you'd do something like that for _Kairi_. You must've realized that she doesn't love you at all. She's just using you."

There was a short moment of silence, before Axel shrugged, "I know."

"Then why…" the blonde boy asked weakly, "…Why you let her do that?"

Axel sighed and finally turned to look at Roxas. He opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything. Eventually he glanced out of the window once again, "You don't understand. You don't see her the way I see her."

Roxas frowned and grabbed Axel's arm, trying to draw his attention back at him, "You can't be serious. You mean you are just going to let her continue that?"

"You have no clue…" Axel said quietly, tearing his arm away from the smaller boy, "…How can you tell me to do something, since you have known me only for like… let's see… three months? How can you tell me to stop _liking_ someone, you don't even know?"

The coldness in the redhead's voice made Roxas shiver, but only slightly. He knew that Axel seemed pretty mean sometimes, but he also knew that he wasn't a bad person.

But those words had still made his heart hurt. He was right, they had known for such a short while, but Roxas couldn't help this growing affection towards the taller boy. It might sound silly, but the blonde really cared about Axel. No matter how big jerk and idiot he was, he still couldn't stop liking him.

He would never admit that out loud though. Never.

"I'm sorry." Roxas mumbled, trying to sound as confident as he could, "You're right, I've no right to tell you what to do."

Axel grinned a little, "Exactly." He said, not noticing how this small reply affected the boy, who was sitting next to him.

Roxas' heart throbbed painfully. He had kind of expected a different kind of answer. Axel probably didn't mean it like that, but it still hurt. He sighed and looked down at his lap. No matter how hard he tried, he still couldn't accept the things Kairi had just made Axel do. He knew that the red-haired boy would never attack someone who was younger and smaller than him, without someone telling him to do so.

And what confused Roxas the most, was why Kairi had so much power over Axel and his life?

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sora gasped for air, as he watched the Shadow disappear into one of the shadowy corners in his large room. He arched his back a little, feeling pain shooting right through his spine. His eyes were wide open, and stared right up at the ceiling, without seeing anything.

Luca lied on the floor, next to the bed, unable to do anything.

The brunette was still gripping on the blankets, somehow, feeling really hard to let go of them. Few tears made their way down on his pillows. He could feel the sweatiness of his body, as the bed sheets became uncomfortably wet around his naked body.

He had done it again. He had been _forced_ to do it again.

Sora gulped loudly, feeling guiltiness fill his heart. Metallic taste came to his mouth, and even if he tried to swallow it away, it didn't fade. His thoughts lingered at the events, which he would have wanted to forget so badly.

The disgust made its way through Sora's veins, making him tremble all over and finally forcing him to loosen his grip on the blankets around him. His breath came out as sharp gasps, no matter how much he tried to calm himself down, by mumbling soothing words to himself.

Too bad, that those words couldn't heal the mental pain and guilt. He had never felt so broken, used or alone before. He knew that there would be no kind of salvation for him. In the end, there would be nothing left, but an empty shell. Everything inside would be consumed by the Shadow, sooner or later.

Sora straightened his back, as he slowly sat up. He looked around, relieved to see that he was alone with Luca now. There was no dead looking people standing next to his bed or whispering into his ear.

The brunette shut his eyes, before opening them again. He repeated this action few times, just to make his eyes work better in the darkness of his room. The floor was cold, as he placed his bare feet on it. With shaky knees, he tried to stand up properly.

He kneeled down a little, and picked up Luca. With the teddy bear, he made his way towards his bathroom, his other leg limping a little.

Once he reached his destination, he looked up at the mirror. He was little taken aback, as he saw the hollowness in his eyes. It was just like they say: 'Eyes are windows to people's souls.'.

He sighed wearily, as he turned the tap of the sink, pouring some cold water on his palms. He leaned down and splashed the water on his face, washing away the sweat and the dried tears. The coldness bit through his skin, but he didn't care. He just hoped that the water would sweep away the guilty and pain… but those things were in his mind to stay.

Sora looked up at the mirror, and his eyes widened, as he saw a pale looking boy standing right behind his back. He let out a small shriek, and spun around quickly, only to notice that there was no one there. He blinked few times, before turning his head back at the mirror, seeing the boy once again.

"Who are… you?" he asked, his voice unsure and weak.

But the boy just stared at him through the mirror. His eyes, which were nearly black, bored into Sora's bright blue ones. No matter how much the brunette tried to look away- he couldn't.

He examined the boy, who was only visible in the mirror. He had brown hair, just like him. Although, it wasn't spiky, but flat and glued on his head, like it would have been wet. He had few cut marks on his cheeks and there was dried blood around them. His skin was pale, and his lips were slightly blue.

"What do you want from me?" Sora tried again, this time managing to sound a little bit braver.

But there still were no reply. The boy just slowly lifted his hand and placed it on Sora's shoulder. The said one could feel coldness hit his skin, but when he looked down, he saw nothing there. But he could feel it, and when he fixed his eyes at the mirror, he could see it too.

The boy's lips moved slowly. He mouthed words, which formed long sentences. However, no matter how closely Sora tried to watch the other one's mouth, he couldn't understand any of the words he tried to say.

Only word he could understand was: 'Death.'

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Riku lied on his bed, his eyes closed and earphones covering his ears. He quietly sang along the song, his head moving from left to right a little.

Slowly he opened his sea green eyes, looking straight out of one of his windows. It was getting dark, and few stars were shining along side the bright crescent, which was rising from the horizon. He sighed, as he stood up and walked to his window, so he could take a better look of the sky.

He pushed the window open and poked his head out. Cool air greeted him and the gentle, yet cold breeze caressed his face.

Riku leaned his head on his palms, gazing up at the sky. His thoughts wandered back at Sora. He had been thinking about the said brown-haired boy all day. The picture of Sora never left his mind. It kept haunting him, slowly driving him crazy.

Maybe Zexion's idea wasn't so bad after all. Sora's father wouldn't probably even notice if he broke into their house… the last time he had been there, he hadn't even seen him. And from what Riku had heard, he didn't much care what his son was doing… So getting in shouldn't be too hard.

The silver-haired man chuckled, running to his bed and pulling his shoes from underneath it. He kept them there, just in case he felt like sneaking out of the house in the middle of the night. Then he walked to his closet and grabbed his sleeveless yellowish jacket.

He returned back by the window and easily jumped out of it, landing on his feet on the grassy ground. Luckily, his room was on the first floor.

He started tiptoeing towards the fence, which surrounded their house. He made sure to carefully avoid walking past the living room's window. He knew that Zexion probably wouldn't try to stop him, but he didn't want him to know either. Lord knows what kind of rumors would be spreading around the neighborhood then…

Riku climbed over the tall fence, and sighed happily, as he was safely on the other side of it.

With long paces, he started jogging towards the direction of Sora's house. It was pretty long way, but he didn't care. The thoughts of the brown-haired boy kept him jogging faster and faster, until he found himself running, his feet rapidly hitting the asphalt.

He knew that Sora probably wouldn't even let him in… But he just had to talk with him. And this time, he would try not to move too fast. But it wasn't his fault that Sora looked absolutely too adorable, when he pouted, smiled, giggled or… well, everything he did was cute. So cute, that if Sora was a candy, Riku'd definitely eat him.

The silver-haired boy chuckled a little, never letting his pace slow down.

And after good while of running, he finally arrived to Sora's house. Large brick fences were surrounding the area, but Riku could easily climb over them, without much an effort. In fact, he wondered why this kind of big house didn't have a high security alarm system and lots of bulldogs guarding the courtyard.

He shrugged, as he quietly but quickly approached Sora's window. He couldn't really complain about the lack of the bulldogs and alarm system… it just made his little 'quest' easier.

He looked up and saw the window of Sora's room. Or, at least, he was positive that it was the brunette's room. It was hard to tell, since he had been here only once.

There was an old looking tree, right next to the window. Riku smirked, before grabbing the lowest branch of it and pulled himself upwards. The trees' leaves were yellowish, since it was late autumn already. They tickled the silver-haired boy's cheeks, as he kept climbing higher and higher.

Finally Riku reached the window's level and peeked inside. The room was dark, but he could see someone lying on the bed, face buried in the pillows. He smiled a little at the sight of Sora, before slowly leaning towards the window and tapping his fingers on the surface of it.

Immediately Sora shot up and looked around. Riku could see a small frown on his features, as he tried to search the source of voice. The boy, who was sitting in the tree couldn't help but laugh to Sora's expression as he finally spotted him. The brunette made his way to his window and opened it, looking at Riku, confusion reflecting in his eyes.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" Sora gasped, looking into the other one's mysterious eyes. He was only wearing an over-sized T-shirt, which slipped down his other shoulder, showing a little bit too much flesh than needed.

Riku grinned and ran his hand through his silvery hair, "Oh, don't try to act that you're not happy to see me…" he said, before quickly continuing, "…Just kiddin'. I wanted to speak with you. This time I promise I won't try anything."

Sora looked at Riku, not really understand the meaning of the word 'anything', but nodded his head anyways.

The silver-haired teen smiled, as he leaned slightly forward, poking Sora's forehead with his finger, "Let's go somewhere… Though, you might want to… erm… dress up first?" he chuckled as he pulled back, watching as a bright blush creep on Sora's cheeks.

"Ah… yes…" The brown-haired boy mumbled absently, before turning around and walking to his closet, pulling out some clothes.

Riku pretended to look away, while the other one pulled his shirt over his head, revealing his small and slender body. Sora's. It was the first time he really noticed how feminine the other one's form looked. Not that he minded though… Muscular chest and arms didn't suit Sora. He was perfect the way he was now.

A small smirk crossed the taller one's features, as he leaned his back on the tree, still waiting for Sora to dress up.

Eventually Sora returned by the window, holding Luca to his chest, giving a weird look to Riku, "Why do you wanna go out in the middle of the night?"

"I'll explain you later. Just come with me, okay?" Riku said, offering his hand to the smaller male, who took it without hesitation. Sora leaped to the same branch, on which the other one was sitting. They exchanged quick looks, the brunette blushing slightly, while Riku just chuckled.

Soon, they both were walking on a pavement, towards an unknown direction. Sora kept his eyes locked at his shoes and every now and then he looked at Luca, like trying to seek for some solace or help. But the teddy bear just stared in to the nothingness, like enjoying the situation.

Sora sighed and finally gathered all of his courage to look up at Riku. Luckily, he wasn't staring right back at him, "Riku, w-where are w-we going?"

"You'll see."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sephiroth opened the dim light of the small cellar-like room. The dark-haired woman's corpse was still lying on the floor. Her eyes were open wide and her mouth in a silent gasp, which probably had never left her lips. Dried blood was surrounding her, stinking powerfully in the air around her.

The silver-haired man made a face, as he stepped over the dead principal, not really caring that she was staining the floor. He made his way to the coffin and placed his hand on top of it, a weird and twisted smile coming to his features.

Aerith had been wrong. He was a bad person. He loved watching people in pain… he loved to be on top of everyone. He loved that everyone was afraid of him… then he didn't have to be afraid of anyone. To kill, or to be killed. That's one of the unwritten laws of the life.

A sharp pain pierced through Sephiroth's head, as few stray memories came back into his mind. However, he easily drove those away, just by shaking his head.

Foolish thing. Why would someone ever need such thing as 'memories'?

The silver-haired leaned against the coffin, running his hand on its wooden surface. He had crafted this coffin all by himself, just for Aerith. He remembered, how he had sat in this same room, designing this coffin for his wife. Waiting for her to come home, so he could lock her here, so she could lay herself down on this trunk.

He was rather happy to know that Aerith's lifeless body was right beneath his hand.

The one he had trusted enough to give his heart… What had she done? Break it into millions of pieces then expecting him to take her back? Foolishness. Pure foolishness. It's not like a heart could be repaired so easily.

Only medicine Sephiroth found that was effective was revenge. By killing her, he had found some kind of peace of mind.

He glanced over his shoulder at Rinoa. She had been so close to find the truth… well, he guessed that she had already figured it out, so only thing to keep her quiet was to silence her forever.

Sephiroth looked back at the coffin and leaned his head downer and whispered, "…Don't worry dear Aerith… You probably will meet someone dear to you soon enough…"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A/N: Pleh… It's been pretty hard to concentrate on typing lately. Don't know why though… :sigh: Sorry if this chapter was somewhat confusing. Review?


	9. Fireflies

**My Fatal Reality**

**About the story** – Yea, I don't know why, but somehow I found myself writing a new fiction about Kingdom Hearts. The **pairings** are RikuxSora?xSora, and many more. So if you don't like **shounen-ai**/**yaoi**, please don't read any further. **Bad grammar, angst, Sora- torturing, angst, dark themes, angst** and of course, **boy loving another boy** Oh yeah, and did I mention **angst**? This was first supposed to be DNAngel fic... But… I feel like writing KH stuff ;P

Oh yeah, also mild **Kairi-bashing**.

**Disclaimer** – I do not own Kingdom Hearts.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Chapter 09 – Fireflies

After a while, Sora realized that he was holding hands with Riku, their fingers loosely entwined. The shorter one's cheeks' color deepened from pinkish to the deepest shade of red. With crimson-colored face, he looked up at his companion, who didn't even seem to notice, or more likely, ignored, the fact that their palms brushed against each other.

Luca nearly fell on the ground, because of Sora's trembling hands. However, Riku decided to ignore the shakiness too, just kept walking and leading Sora towards an unknown direction.

"R-Riku…" Sora managed to mumble, trying his best to hide the blush, which covered his face, "…W-where…. Where are we g-going?"

The silver-haired boy looked up at the sky and saw millions of starts twinkling in it. It wasn't too late, but because of the autumn, it got dark early. After glancing at the sky above him, he looked at Sora, "…Just somewhere where we can talk. We… really need to talk this through."

Sora blinked few times, before nodding his head awkwardly.

Eventually, the two of them came to and edge of a large field. The long grass waved gently with the autumn breeze. Few fireflies flew right above the green scenery, beautifully shining in the darkness. Sora looked around a little bit more and saw a small pond in the middle of the grass fields.

How come he had never before seen a place like this, even though he had always lived here?

"Wow…" Sora gasped. It was really beautiful… and peaceful.

"C'mon…" Riku smirked, and started to pull Sora towards the pond. The grass was a little bit wet, but neither one of them cared. The brunette kept his eyes at the ground, smiling a little, a really cute blush on his cheeks all the time. It wasn't so bright anymore, but it was there nevertheless.

Riku stopped right in front of the small pond and sat down, pulling Sora next to him. The shorter one yelped a little, as he fell on the grass. He lied on his back, the grass tickling his face, before he decided to straighten his back and place Luca sit next to him.

"Y-you wanted t-to talk about s-something?" Sora mumbled nervously.

Riku chuckled, "We have all night to talk… So there's no need to rush." He said, looking at a firefly, which flew past him.

Sora nodded his head and bit his fingernails nervously. Then he hugged his knees and let his eyes wander freely around the beautiful grassy field, which seemed to continue to the end of the word. The place was really romantic, though Sora wasn't sure what that word meant… but he thought that this probably was something they call 'romantic'.

"Sora… I really need to know…" Riku said, never looking at the boy, who was sitting right next to him, "…How do you really feel about me?"

Sora blushed slightly. What he was supposed to tell him? That his Shadow told him not to be with him? To Riku, it would probably make no sense… but he could always try to tell him something…

"I… Well, I like you…" Sora started, trying to find his voice again, "…I-I mean I like you really really much."

Riku lifted his eyebrow and leaned a little bit closer to Sora, "…Then why did you tell me that you don't like me at all?" his voice sounded as puzzled as his expression was.

Sora wanted to tell him what really kept him keeping these feelings inside of him. But he just couldn't… He wanted to scream for help from his savior, but he knew that even Riku wouldn't be able to chase away these nightmares that surrounded him everytime he was alone.

"I was afraid." Sora replied after thinking for a while. It was the truth really, though he wasn't telling the details. He just hoped that Riku wouldn't ask-…

"Why?"

The brunette sighed. Great, just great… "…Because…" he paused. Sora frowned, and a small pout came to his features, "…Because I've never been… with… a boy… well I-I've never b-been with a girl e-either so… ah… I don't know…"

Riku blinked few times. He fell quiet for a while, before bursting out into heavy and relieved laughs. He slammed his palm on his forehead, lying on his back on the grassy field, "That's it? You're afraid?"

Sora blushed a little bit more and his pout grew harder, but the frown vanished completely, "W-what's so funny?"

"Nothing." Riku gasped for air, trying to stop his laughing, but it was rather hard. No, he didn't laugh because he found the situation funny, but because of relief. For a while he had actually **thought** that Sora hated him and it was all over for good.

Sora narrowed his eyes, and looked away, folding his arms above his chest.

"Aww, don't get mad." Riku purred, not afraid to openly flirt with Sora anymore, "I'm just… let's say, relieved."

Sora smiled a little, and looked at Luca. _I wish he knew the real reason…_ He sighed, and leaned his head on his palms, "…And… so what if I hated you? It'd be probably better that way. You know…" he said, without even knowing what he was trying to say, "…No one likes me, and if they see us together, they'll end up hating you too."

The silver-haired teen stared at Sora, who inhaled a deep breath and looked like he regretted those things he had just said. Riku knew that the smaller male was right. But being away from Sora had proven him how much he really cared about the other one. He was positive that he was ready to go through hell for Sora.

"I don't care."

Sora's eyes widened and he looked at Riku, "…E-excuse me?"

"I said I don't care." Riku said confidently, "As long as I'm with you everything's alright."

Sora opened his mouth to protest, but before he could say anything, Riku grabbed his collar and pulled him towards him, until their lips met. The brunette's mind screamed him to pull away, that he didn't want to face the Shadow later today, but his body didn't feel like obeying.

Riku pulled away, before Sora could get used to the kiss.

"R-Riku… I…" Sora looked down, trying to avoid the other one's grinning face. He looked at Luca and said, "L-Luca said he's too young too see this kinds of things…"

Riku pushed Sora on the ground, bending above him and leaned so close to Sora that their noses were touching, "…Then maybe Luca should close his eyes…"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sephiroth walked to Sora's room, opening the door quietly. He stepped into the dark room, not even bothering to try to find the light switch. With slow paces he approached his son's bed and frowned as he found it empty.

"Where could he be?" He asked out loud, looking around the room, but Sora was nowhere to be seen. His frown grew even deeper, as he started to walk towards the bathroom.

Cursing he slammed his balled fist on the wall. Where could Sora be? It wasn't like him to sneak out of the house… But then again, Sephiroth couldn't tell if Sora did it often, since he never really cared what his son did. Still, he would have never guessed that the brunette boy would actually sneak out of the house.

Sephiroth ran his hand through his long hair. It was no point to get all worked up over nothing. He would show definitely deal with Sora later. A satisfied smile came to his features. He would absolutely teach Sora a lesson he would never forget.

He turned around and walked out of Sora's room and heading towards downstairs. The whole house was oddly quiet. It was probably because all of the servants had already left to their homes/rooms. Never before the silence had bothered Sephiroth, that's why he frowned deeply.

When Aerith had still been alive, there was never quiet in the house. She made sure that there were always life and action in the mansion, which sometimes drove Sephiroth crazy. He preferred calmness and tranquility.

He gritted his teeth suddenly. Filthy little woman… how could he even let his mind wander that freely and return to think about the happy memories when they still had been a 'happy family'. Sephiroth snorted. Yeah, really happy family… when neither one of his sons appeared to be his.

Well, he wasn't sure if Sora was his flesh and blood or not. And nor he did care. Sephiroth walked into his room, which was large and full of blood-red decorations.

The only thing he desired at the moment was revenge.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

It was nearing the midnight, as Riku finally snapped out of his thoughts. He looked at Sora, who seemed to have fallen asleep next to him, his head buried in Luca's stomach. The silver-haired boy smiled at the sight.

There was no way he could wake Sora up. He looked just way too adorable when he slept. So innocent and pure. Like the evilness would have never even touched his beautiful soul. Riku's smile grew even wider, when he heard the smaller male mumble something about pancakes and butterflies.

Riku stared at the sleeping beauty for a while longer, before shaking his head. He knew that he couldn't possibly wake the brunette teen up. Slowly, he snaked his arms around Sora's neck and under his knees. He inhaled a deep breath, as he lifted the smaller boy up, rather surprised to find how light he really was.

The silver-haired boy just shrugged, somehow managing to pick up Luca also and place it rest on the sleeping boy's chest. Sora nuzzled his nose on Riku's shirt and mumbling something again, "…F-father… wh… mm… mom…?… R-riku…"

Riku frowned a little, as he heard Sora mumbling his name. The brunette's body tensed and a pained grimace came to his face.

"Sh… Shadow… P-please d-don't… s-stop…"

The silver-haired boy thought about waking Sora up, but suddenly he relaxed again and started snoring. Riku blinked his aquamarine eyes few times before chuckling. _What was _that

He reached Sora's house eventually. But when he was standing behind the long brick fence, he frowned. How the hell he was supposed to climb over it now that he was carrying Sora? And even if he could climb it up, there was no way he'd be able to get back to Sora's room.

Riku shook his head in defeat. He guessed that he had no choice but to take Sora to his place… and face Zexion and his stupid questions. He groaned a little, but when he looked at the boy in his arms, the smile returned to his features. He couldn't really complain though… having someone as cute sleeping in your arms… Riku thought he was in heaven.

He mentally slapped himself. _No Riku, bad Riku_. It's not time for nosebleed.

The silver-haired boy continued walking, every now and then his eyes landing at Sora, who just kept snoring quietly. Riku shook his head and chuckled. He was perfect. Not perfect as the way Riku was. In the end, they were completely opposites. It's like Sora was a magnet, which drew Riku towards him.

Eventually Riku reached his home. He walked to the front door and inhaled a deep breath. He could already see Zexion's smirking face when he'd see him carrying Sora in a bridal-style.

Riku rolled his eyes. It wasn't time to think of something like that. He knocked on the door (since he didn't have his keys with him) and in mere seconds he could see his brother, who blinked his eyes at him. He looked rather sleepy, but it all vanished away when he saw the brunette resting in Riku's arms.

"Ohh…" was all Zexion could say, before slapping his hand to cover his mouth, trying to fight against giggles, "…Ah, I see, so this' Sora."

Riku growled and pushed his elder brother out of the way and walked in. He didn't understand why Zexion found this situation so amusing, but he really didn't even care. He made his way straight to his room and placed Sora on his bed. Then he kicked of his shoes and shoved them under his bed.

Sora curled up, Luca against his chest. After mumbling something again, he seemed to relax and Riku tugged the bed sheets over the brunette's small figure.

Giving Sora the one last glance, just to make sure he was fast asleep, Riku turned around and exited his room and first thing he saw was Zexion's grinning face, "…Well well. I do see now why you like him so much. He is rather adorable."

Riku closed his room's door and folded his arms above his chest, "I couldn't take him back home, that's why I brought him here. And I'd highly appreciate it if you didn't start babbling about me and about my feelings towards him." The younger silver-haired male said, running his hand through his long silvery hair.

"Ah, I wouldn't do anything like that and you know that." Zexion said, lifting his hands in front of him, "I'm just saying that he looks okay. And… Well, I'd definitely glomp him down if I knew that you were interested in him."

Riku lifted his elegant eyebrow, "…Pedophile…"

"Consider yourself lucky that I'm your brother." Zexion said, before starting to head back towards his room, yawning widely, "Just don't be too loud, I've got a workday tomorrow."

The younger male let out a low groan, which made his brother chuckle. Riku rubbed his temples and watched as the other one disappeared into his room.

_What a total moron…_

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

_Sora glanced his surroundings. Complete nothingness surrounded him. There was absolutely nothing. He looked down and saw his reflection on the floor. It was like he was standing on dark water, which somehow carried his weight, without breaking the surface._

_He was alone. The loneliness bit his heart and made him fall down on his knees. He let out a small groan of pain and held his chest. It was like his heart was trying to break free, or someone was trying to pull it out of its place. _

This' just a dream…_ Sora tried to tell himself, but the pain didn't fade. It was weird how he knew that he was dreaming, yet it all felt so real._

_After a while, the pain eased a little. Sora managed to stood up again, straightening his back. He looked forward into the blackness. Suddenly a figure started to appear in front of his eyes. He frowned and narrowed his eyes, trying to see better the person._

"…Father?" Sora asked, as he saw the vision more clearly. He saw a man, whose long silver hair beautifully waved behind his back. He looked somewhat different. His eyes seemed like there was light behind them, just like in the past. Just like when Aerith had still been with them…

_Suddenly the nothingness transformed into a familiar looking place. Sora glanced around, yet he couldn't recognize the new environment. It was like a long corridor, surrounded by mirrors. He looked into one of the mirrors and saw the same pale looking boy he had seen earlier through the mirror. However, this time he was replacing his own reflection._

_Sora frowned and moved his hand and the death looking male in the mirror did the same. But when he looked away, he could feel the burning stare of his 'reflection'._

_The brunette sidestepped over to the next mirror. This time there was a girl, just as pale as the boy in the other mirror. She looked back at Sora, her face expressionless. Sora could swear he had seen her somewhere before…_

_After glancing into the mirrors for a while, Sora spun his head around, so he could look at Sephiroth, "Wha-…" he opened his mouth, but closed it, as he saw his father glancing right through him. It was like he didn't exist, or was completely transparent._

"_Aerith."_

_Sora looked over his shoulder and saw a silhouette of a woman, who was walking towards him, towards Sephiroth. The said man's features changed suddenly. The light that had been in his eyes left and now they were back to their normal, empty state._

"…_Mom?" Sora asked as he stepped out of the way, as the woman walked past him, never even glancing at him._

_It all happened so fast. Suddenly, the woman was just lying on the ground. Blood surrounded her body and her brown hair sprawled on the floor. Sora's mouth opened into a scream, which never came. He attempted to go to her, but his feet didn't obey his mind's commands._

_Suddenly a hand grabbed Sora's shoulder and he blinked few times as he saw Riku standing there, a small smirk on his lips. That look made the brunette's knees feel weak, and he gulped loudly. The silver-haired boy just kept smirking, his other hand snaking around his waist, "Sora, are you afraid?"_

_That voice… it didn't sound like Riku at all. Sora rubbed his eyes and suddenly, instead of Riku, the Shadow was standing in front of him, its cold hands wrapped around his body. Sora tried to squirm away from his darkside, but couldn't._

_Soon he was pinned against one of the mirrors. The Shadow's heavy breaths hit Sora's neck, while two hands roamed underneath his shirt._

"_Sh… Shadow… P-please d-don't… s-stop…" Sora mumbled, trying to push the Shadow away, but he felt weak and powerless. He gripped its shoulders, but didn't have enough strength to shove the Shadow away._

_The brunette looked over his Shadow's shoulder and saw Riku standing there. Behind the silver-haired man were Sephiroth, Aerith, Rinoa and Cloud. He looked at each one of them, waiting for them to do something. But they just stared blankly, as the Shadow continued to do disgusting things to him. They didn't even wince._

_Sora felt his body relax suddenly. He didn't know what was going on, or why he just willingly gave up. But when he looked into Riku's eyes, all of his struggles seemed to be in vain. It all had been in vain all this time. No one could ever help him get rid of this nightmare he was living in. He was alone for eternity._

This is just a dream_. Sora bit his lip, blood starting to drip down from it, _Wake up Sora…Wake UP.

Sora shot up and held his chest. His breath came out in sharp gasps and he looked around. He didn't know where he was, but he was relieved that the dream was over. He placed his hand over his chest, feeling his heart beat rapidly.

That was one of the weirdest dream he had ever seen.

"Sora?"

Sora's eyes widened as he looked at the direction where his name had been called. He saw Riku standing there, concern in his features. Sora didn't know whether he was relieved or angry at the sight of the silver-haired boy. He knew that it had only been a dream, yet it still felt so real. He had no reason why he should be mad at Riku…

Riku took few awkward steps towards Sora, before kneeling in front of the bed and trying to form an eye contact with the smaller male, "What's wrong Sora? You look terrified."

Sora gulped and carefully avoided the other one's eyes, "…W-where am I?"

"In my room." Riku stated, placing his hand on Sora's shoulder and pushed him back down, "…And it's nearly midnight, which means that it's time for you to get some sleep. I'll explain everything to you later."

Sora watched as Riku stood up and turned around. But when he was about to leave the room, Sora said, "…I-I don't want explanations… just d-don't leave me alone… please…"

Riku lifted his eyebrow. Sora's voice was so begging that it was getting suspicious. But then again, why would he want to refuse an offer like that? The silver-haired boy turned back around and placed his hands on his hips, "Sora, are you sure you're still not dreaming?"

"I…" Sora said, but then blinked. He pinched his arm, and then continued, "Yes I am fully awake!"

Riku shrugged and walked back next to the bed and sat on top of it. He glanced at Sora and gave him a reassuring smile, before reaching his hand out and touching the brunette's cheek gently. This gesture made shivers run down Sora's spine, but somehow he managed to smile.

"Don't worry Sora, I'll stay here and wait till you fall asleep."

Sora let out a relieved sigh and nodded his head, "Thanks… Riku."

Riku stared at the other one, as he laid down and closed his bright blue eyes. Soon he was snoring lightly again, his chest rising and descended in a peaceful rhythm. Riku smiled and leaned towards the brunette's head. When his mouth was next to Sora's ear, he whispered, "…Don't worry, I'll be the one to chase your nightmares away."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Roxas sighed and glanced out of a window. He just couldn't sleep. Too many thoughts crossed his mind everytime he closed his eyes. Thoughts of Axel mostly. He just couldn't understand how the redhead could be so _stupid_ that he let someone like Kairi control his life and each of his movements. It just didn't make sense.

The blonde boy bit his lip a little and supported his weight on the windowsill. He didn't know what he should do to make Axel understand that there are people around him that care about him. Roxas sighed again and shook his head.

Roxas picked up his phone and dialled some numbers. He had to hear Axel's voice, though he didn't know why.

After a while listening loud 'beep's, Axel finally picked up, "_Unh… who's this?_"

"H-hi Axel, it's me." Roxas said, already regretting calling the red-haired boy in the dead of night, "…Uhh… I hope that I didn't wake you up…"

Roxas could hear Axel's groaning, "_…S'okay, just tell me what's wrong and let me go back to sleep._"

The blonde boy lied down on his bed and glanced up at the ceiling. He wasn't sure what he should say next, so he just mumbled, "…Well, there's nothing I wanted to say really, I just wondered how you were doing and if you were still mad at me."

There was a pause. A long pause. For a while Roxas thought that Axel had fallen back to asleep.

"_Was I angry at you? Sorry, can't recall anything like that._"

Roxas blinked few times, "Well… when we were talking about Kairi and… y'know…"

"_I was just telling you that you know nothing of it and give it a rest. Now, if you don't have anything else to say, goodnight._"

And before Roxas could say anything else, Axel had already hung up on him. The blonde frowned and threw the phone to the floor, not really caring if it broke it something. He snarled, before rolling on his stomach and buried his head on his pillows.

Axel was such an ass. He hated him. He just wanted him to die and burn in hell. He wanted to smash his head into pieces then feed his corpse to hungry wolves. He wanted to strangle him and then watch him burn in a fireplace.

…Sadly, Roxas was a poor liar. He couldn't even fool himself.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A/N: I really don't have anything to say about this chapter. Review please.


	10. Misunderstood

**My Fatal Reality**

**About the story** – Yea, I don't know why, but somehow I found myself writing a new fiction about Kingdom Hearts. The **pairings** are RikuxSora?xSora, and many more. So if you don't like **shounen-ai**/**yaoi**, please don't read any further. **Bad grammar, angst, Sora- torturing, angst, dark themes, angst** and of course, **boy loving another boy** Oh yeah, and did I mention **angst**? This was first supposed to be DNAngel fic... But… I feel like writing KH stuff ;P

Oh yeah, also mild **Kairi-bashing**.

**Disclaimer** – I do not own Kingdom Hearts.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Chapter 10 – Misunderstood

It was the faint scent of omelets that woke Sora up. He yawned widely, while straightening his back and sitting up. He glanced the room he was in and suddenly everything that had happened last night came back to his mind. A blush spread to his face and he quickly pulled the blankets to cover his reddening face.

He could still feel the touch of Riku's silky lips on his own. He could still remember what it felt like to hold hands with Riku and sit side by side on a grassy field, fireflies flying about.

The brown-haired boy sighed happily and brought his hand up to his chest. He could feel his heart beating fast, though he couldn't tell why. Probably because of the excitement he felt, since, after all, he was currently lying on Riku's bed and a yummy scent of omelets filled his nostrils.

Slowly he got up and walked towards the room's door. As he pushed the door open, he peeked into a small corridor. Music and quiet chatting could be heard from one of the room, which Sora supposed was the kitchen.

When he stepped into the small kitchen, he saw Riku and another silver-haired man there, talking lightly, chuckling every now and then. Suddenly Sora started to feel nervous, and he turned around, ready to go back to Riku's room. But before he could take more than two steps forward, Riku's gentle voice stopped him.

"Good morning Sora."

Sora winced and looked over his shoulder. He smiled and mumbled, "G-good morning, R-R-Riku!"

"Where do you think you're going?" the older silver-haired man lifted his eyebrow, while placing three plates of omelets on the table and sitting down on one of the chairs.

"I, ah…" Sora tried to think of an excuse to escape from the two silver-haired men, "I-I f-forgot Luca… I'll b-be right back!"

Zexion laughed as he watched the brunette disappear behind a corner. Riku looked at his brother, sending him 'what's-so-funny'-look, and the other one just shrugged and said, "Cute. Too bad you saw him first."

"Pfft." Riku rolled his eyes, "It's not like he's some kind of item or something."

"I know. But he's still cute." Zexion said, while eating his omelet. He ignored the nasty glances from his brother, mentally giggling all the time. Men jealousy was so much fun, especially when it involved Riku and someone as uke as Sora… And yes, Zexion was full aware of the fact how fangirl-ish his thoughts were.

And now you might question Zexion's sexual preference, but he was totally straight. It wasn't his fault that his brother happened to swing that way, and happened to have a really desirable boyfriend. Well, maybe not a boyfriend yet, but that little mistake could be corrected easily.

…And of course it wasn't Zexion's fault that thousands of mental images crossed his mind, causing something fall down from his nose…

Riku kicked Zexion with his foot under the table, "Bro, you're bleeding."

"Gah!" The older one of the siblings stood up holding his nose. Quickly he dashed out of the kitchen and soon returning with a piece of toilet paper shoved to both of his nostrils. He mumbled something, which left unheard from Riku, because of his heavy laughter.

"Whad's so funny?" Zexion frowned in a dangerous manner, his voice sounding weird because of the paper shoved in his nose.

Riku inhaled a deep breath, "Tough luck."

"Domorrow I dhall poidon your bdeakfad." Zexion grunted.

"Come again?" The younger one laughed.

Zexion sighed and pulled the toilet papers out of his nose and repeated, "Tomorrow I shall poison your damn breakfast."

"Oh oh oh, you wanna fight huh?" Riku poked his tongue out, as he picked up his omelet with his fork and readied to launch it at Zexion, who frowned dangerously, while placing the toilet papers back into his nose.

Sora re-entered the room without the two siblings even noticing. Though, it was only until he sat next to Riku and gently pulled his sleeve, "…Riku… I think I should get going… back home I mean."

The silver-haired teen swung his arm around Sora's shoulders and squeezed him against his side, "Don't worry Sora, you can stay here as long as you want. I don't think that my brother would mind, right?" Riku glanced at his brother, who stared blankly at Sora. He groaned and kicked Zexion's leg under the table again, bringing the older male back to the present.

"Ah, eh?" Zexion mumbled, scratching the back of his head absently, "Of course I don't mind. It's only pleasure to have cute boy guests."

Riku gave another kick to his brother, who winced slightly. Zexion shot a dirty glare at Riku, before snorting and rolling his eyes, "I guess I leave you two alone then…"

Sora and Riku both watched as Zexion exited the small kitchen, mumbling something about mean little brothers who deserve to burn in hell for eternity.

"Don't worry about him, he's always like that." Riku apologized Sora, who had a confused expression written all over his features. The silver-haired boy chuckled and nudged his ribs, "C'mon eat up before your food gets cold."

Sora nodded his head and started to eat his breakfast, Luca sitting on his lap.

Riku stared at the boy next to him, not really caring if Sora noticed his intense glare or not. He was pretty sure that Sora was fully aware of the feelings he held for him. No one could be that naïve, right?

Riku smiled at Sora, before chuckling. Even when eating, the brunette looked absolutely too cute and innocent. And maybe he was wrong… maybe people like Sora could be naïve enough not to notice someone loving them…

After finishing his breakfast, Sora turned his head towards the other boy, blushing as he noticed Riku's eyes following his each gesture closely, "Uhh… Thanks, that was delicious…"

"Pfft." Riku smirked, as he reached his hand out to ruffle Sora's hair, "I guess we should hurry up then… The school starts in half an hour."

"Don't worry dear Riku." Said Zexion, who had mysteriously appeared at the doorway, "I've got it covered. I called the principal and told her that both of you were sick or something. She was being very… very rude today."

"Rinoa was being rude? Whoa." Riku laughed and ran his hand through his silvery locks.

Sora glanced at the older silver-haired male, before awkwardly asking, "…I-it w-wa-wasn't Mrs. H-Heartily w-was it?"

Zexion shook his head, "Yeah, it was some weird woman. Can't recall her name though. Moon-, something, I guess." He mumbled, while holding his chin thoughtfully. Then he just shrugged it off and continued, "Oh well, anyways, I'm going to go rent some movies and go buy some snacks."

Riku grinned, "Okay. Sounds a lot better than being at the school anyways."

"Hey hey, it's not like I phoned the principal just for you." Zexion stated, "…In fact, I was considering to only tell her that Sora was going to be absent… but then I thought that Sora would probably get lonely without you around, so I decided to be nice and let you stay at home for today."

A faint pinkish color spread to Sora's cheeks and he quickly looked at Luca. Riku groaned and rubbed his temples, "Why don't you just go already?"

"Geez, I feel so loved here." Zexion fake-pouted, as he turned around. He looked at the two teens over his shoulder, before leaving, "…I'll be back in an hour. Just so you'll know that I don't have to find you two in an awkward position…"

Sora was about to ask what did Zexion mean with 'awkward position', but Riku was faster and glared dirtily at his brother, "I think you should leave already, or you'll see some 'awkward positions' right away."

"Ohh, hold on a second, let me go get my camera then…"

"Just. Go. Already."

Zexion snorted, before shrugging and leaving without much of noise.

After Riku heard the front door slam close, he groaned and rubbed his temples. He turned around and faced the brunette boy, who hugged his teddy bear and innocently glanced at him.

"Riku, what did he mean with awkward positions?"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Roxas kicked a small stone that happened to be right in front of his worn-out trainers. It was still pretty early, so only few pupils roamed around the school's corridors. A wide yawn crossed the blonde's lip and he stretched his tired arms.

With his tired eyes, he glanced the few students walking about. He didn't know any of them. In the end, he wasn't too popular in this school, nor that he wanted to be. He preferred to keep low profile and watch aside as the others fooled around. He hated to be in the center of all attention…

But then again, being 'friends' with someone like Axel, caused him somewhat popularity. Many of the schools knew him as 'Axel's blonde friend' or 'the one who's always with Axel'.

Roxas sighed as he reached a small and shadowy corner, where he could sit alone for a while and just eye the other people without being noticed. For some reason, he found other people fascinating, even though he was a little bit afraid of them. He loved to study the different gestures and movements they made or the way they looked.

"Hey."

Roxas looked up at another blonde boy standing next to him. He frowned, before nodding his head, trying to remember the face of the other one.

The older male chuckled, as he sat next to Roxas on a small bench, "I'm the one fighting with Axel yesterday, remember?"

"Oh yeah." Roxas said simply, his eyes drifting away from the blonde, "…Need something?"

"No not really. Just wanted to thank you… I'm Cloud." Cloud introduced himself, looking at the direction where Roxas was glancing. Then he turned his head back at his companion, forming a smile on his lips, "…So you're Roxas right? How come I've never met you before?"

"I don't know." Roxas shrugged, "…There are pretty many students in this school after all."

"Yeah." Cloud laughed awkwardly, realizing how cliché his comment had sounded, "…Well, anyways, that wasn't why I wanted to talk with you. I wanted to thank you for what happened yesterday."

"You already said that, but you're welcome in any case." The younger blonde teen chuckled, forming a small smile on his lips, while lowering his gaze on the floor, eyeing the shoes of the passer byes, "…I just didn't want Axel to get into any kinds of trouble."

Cloud smirked and tilted his head slightly to his side, "Ohh I see. So you don't know Sora or anything?"

"No not really." Roxas replied hesitantly, "…Everyone just talks about him. How big freak he is and all. They all say that he's coming from a family of murderers, so that's probably why everyone wants to stay as far from him as they can."

"…Murderers?" Cloud repeated the word from Roxas' sentence, lifting his eyebrow.

"That's what I've heard." The other one added hastily, "…Though it could be only wild rumors spreading around, but I've never really got any kind of chance to talk with Sora. Not that I'd be too interested anyways, I'm not good at making new friends… Besides, who knows what other might think if I befriended with him."

Cloud frowned rather angrily, before folding his arms above his chest. He eyed the boy next to him, trying to decide if Roxas were just being realistic or a complete coward, "…So you're scared, huh? Well, can't blame you, being isolated by everyone wouldn't be too nice."

"That's right." Roxas agreed with a small nod.

"…Well well." Cloud stated thoughtfully, "…You told me that you aren't good at making friends, right?"

The blonde looked at the other one quizzically.

Cloud smiled widely, while giving the other one a powerful slap on his back, "Congrats, you just made one."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Rikuuuu!" Sora whined for the thousandth time in Riku's laps, while the silver-haired boy kept his arms tightly tied around the other one's slender body, preventing him from moving anywhere. The brunette pouted, as he tried to pick up Luca from the floor, "…Rikuu, let me go…"

Riku smirked, never looking away from the television's screen, as he nuzzled his nose against Sora's neck, "But I'm feelin' so comfortable here…"

"But Luca is…"

"Don't worry about Luca now…" Riku purred, sending shivers after shivers down Sora's spine, because of breathing on the sensitive spot between the brown-haired boy's shoulder and neck, "…Just relax and lets enjoy ourselves before that idiot Zexion comes back…"

Sora sighed and let his body relax slowly. He shifted his position so that he could rest his head on Riku's shoulder and let his eyes close slowly.

"You smell nice Riku…" Sora mumbled as he inhaled a deep breath of Riku's unique scent, "…It's like an ocean and summer…"

Riku laughed and buried his nose into Sora's spiky hair, "…So do you my love…" he whispered huskily, his other hand somehow finding their way from Sora's waist to his thigh, "…You smell nearly as innocent as you look…"

With a quick movement, Riku had easily Sora pinned down against the sofa, a confused look written on the smaller one's features. As Riku leaned towards his prey, his long silver hair slipped past his shoulders and tickled Sora's cheeks.

"Riku, what are you…" Sora asked, his eyes glancing at Riku's pinkish lips, as they came closer and closer, already realizing what would happen next. Even though he tried to tell himself to remember to breath correctly, he couldn't help but each one of his inhalations became ragged and loud.

Riku smiled, lifting his hand to brush it against Sora's soft chin, "…I guess you already understand how much I lo-… like you."

"Uhh yeah sure!" Sora gasped, smiling goofily all the time, "…I like you too Riku. You're really nice to me and you're not like everyone else. You don't hate me, and you want to be my friend."

Riku groaned and let himself collapse on top of Sora, knocking out the air from the brunette's lungs while doing so. Soon he lifted himself slightly, allowing the other one to breath beneath him, "…Sora you're so stupid."

"I-I-I'm s-sorry!" Sora apologized immediately, his eyes starting to glister of the newborn tears, "…Of course you don't want to be my friend, I'm so sorry! Please don't hate me, I promise that I'll never say that ag-…"

Riku roughly pressed his lips against Sora's, as he couldn't take it anymore. He smirked at the muffled voice Sora let out, before relaxing and closing his eyes. The taller teen gently pulled back, his hand caressing Sora's cheek, "You're right, I don't wanna be your friend."

Sora's bottom lip started to tremble, as he grabbed Riku's shoulders, trying to push him away. But the silver-haired boy just snorted, before grabbing his hands and pinning them down on each side of his head, "…I-I'm sorry R-Riku!"

"Let me finish my sentence you dork!" Riku growled, silencing Sora completely, "…I don't wanna be your friend! I never even wanted to! You're so stupid, can't you see that I don't even like you, because I lo-…"

The sound of the front door opening cut off Riku's speech, and he quickly straightened his back and sat next to Sora, glancing nervously towards the door of the living room.

Sora bit his lip, his vision blurring, while he too sat up. Quietly he picked up Luca, trying to hold back the sobs. His whole body trembled, as fought the fight against his own mind, his feet slowly carrying his past the silver-haired boy on the couch.

"Sora, where are you going?"

Without even stopping to listen explain himself to Riku, he realized that his paces suddenly got faster and faster, and soon he was running through the corridor, past Zexion who gave him a weird look.

"You gotta go?"

But Sora didn't stop this time either. He just opened the front door and ran out of the house, never looking back, even though he heard yells coming behind his back. Luca clutched against his chest, he ran the fastest he could, to an unknown direction.

After a while, his running turned into walking. He looked over his shoulder, realizing that he was already few blocks away from Riku's home.

He stopped moving completely and leaned his back on a brick wall of some building. He closed his eyes, as the tears rolled down from them and small sobs crossing his slightly parted lips. As his strength gave out, he slipped down on the cold ground, pressing his palms against his eyes and letting Luca fall on the pavement right next to him.

For a while, he had actually thought that Riku wasn't like everyone else… And after all that he had said, why did it turn out like this? So it all had been nothing but a game? He didn't really mean anything to Riku, except that it was fun to play with his feelings and mind?

Sora tugged his hair, leaning his forehead against his knees that he brought up to his chest.

"_I don't wanna be your friend! I never even wanted to! You're so stupid, can't you see that I don't even like you…"_

Sora inhaled a broken breath, trying to think of something else, but the reality painfully hitting across his face all over and over again. Something twitched his heart harshly, making him cry even harder.

"_Like I told you…_" Was a cold voice that echoed in his head, "_No one could ever love someone like you. How foolish of you… Thinking that that Riku could actually like you._"

"Go away…" Sora cried, shaking his head and rubbing his eyes against his knees. As if it wasn't enough that the throbbing pain inside of him made him want to kill himself, but Shadow just had to appear once again.

"_You knew all along that he was merely playing with you._"

"Shut up…"

"_But I'll always love you…_"

Sora tilted his head back, hitting it against the wall behind him. His shoulders trembled along side his bottom lip. He reached his hand out to his side and grabbed Luca from the ground and hugged it, "…Please tell me that it all will be alright, Luca…"

"_You idiot, that's merely a teddy bear… what do you think that a worthless thing like that could actually say?_"

Sora winced slightly, but kept embracing his little friend, "Make it go away…"

"_You'll be mine soon Sora._" The Shadow whispered in his mind, and Sora could nearly hear it smirking, "_…Your mind and body, both… Soon I will show you what the true nothingness is._"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Zexion looked at his brother with a deep frown on his features, "…What did you do to him?"

"I did nothing." Riku immediately spat back, "…I just couldn't finish my sentence, because you just **had** to rush in that very moment."

The older one of the siblings narrowed his eyes dangerously, before snarling, "…So you're telling me now that it's my fault huh? So what did you say to him? I'm waiting for a fair explain, or else I just might to beat the crap out of you."

"Fuck off Zexion!" Riku snapped, walking past his brother, their shoulders hitting against each other, "It's none of your freaking business, so stay out of it!"

Zexion followed his brother with his gaze, his fists balling as he tried to control his anger. He could hear his little brother slam his room's door shut and turn the music on and loud.

The silver-haired man couldn't do anything, but wonder, how the hell Riku was always able to screw everything up. Zexion gritted his teeth, feeling furious because of whatever his brother had said to Sora, who already seemed to be so fragile and weak.

But there wasn't really anything that Zexion could have done at this point.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

It took Sora a lot of effort to drag himself home. And as he finally reached the large mansion, that was supposed to be the place he could call 'home', he opened the door and stepped into the awkward atmosphere.

He looked around, hoping that no one would try talking to him, because he was sure that if he opened his mouth, only sobs would cross them. He just wanted to run into his room and shut it all off of his mind. Even if he knew that he would probably need to confront Shadow once again…

With lazy and hesitant steps, he started to walk up the stairs, towards his room, his hell. He held Luca's hand tighter in his, as he approached his room in the end of the long corridor.

Each step seemed to get harder and harder to take. The shadows of the corners seemed to loom on much wider area than usually. It was as if they were swallowing the whole corridor, trying to pull Sora into the deepest depths of darkness with them.

Sora shook his head to drive away the weird thoughts that came into his mind.

When he was few feet away from his room's door, it opened slowly. Sora froze completely and his eyes widened, as he saw Sephiroth walking out of his room, his long silver hair moving elegantly behind his back.

For a short moment, there was nothing but an unbreakable silence and exchange of glances. Then a cold smile crept to Sephiroth's lips, as he walked towards his son. Sora tried to scream his body orders to move, but it seemed that there were no connection between his mind and body anymore.

"Welcome home Sora."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A/N: That is supposed to be a cliffhanger… . Thank you who reviewed, and review again?


	11. Hide And Seek

**My Fatal Reality**

**About the story** – Yea, I don't know why, but somehow I found myself writing a new fiction about Kingdom Hearts. The **pairings** are RikuxSora?xSora, and many more. So if you don't like **shounen-ai**/**yaoi**, please don't read any further. **Bad grammar, angst, Sora- torturing, angst, dark themes, angst** and of course, **boy loving another boy** Oh yeah, and did I mention **angst**? This was first supposed to be DNAngel fic... But… I feel like writing KH stuff ;P

Oh yeah, also mild **Kairi-bashing**.

**Disclaimer** – I do not own Kingdom Hearts.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Chapter 11 – Hide And Seek

"Welcome home Sora."

Sora's eyes widened, as he watched the silver-haired man approach him. The look in the other one's eyes made him shiver, yet he was still too dumbfounded to do anything else, but stand there and wait for his father to do whatever to him.

"I was worried Sora…" Sephiroth said, his voice barely louder than a whisper, "…I came to look for you… and you weren't in your room like a good boy… So I thought that maybe something _bad_ had happened to you…"

The small devilish smile on Sephiroth's lips was enough for Sora to finally regain his composure and turn around. But before he could leap forward, his wrist was caught and Sephiroth spun him around.

"L-Let me go!" Sora cried, and flung his fist towards the other one, not really knowing what he was doing. As his balled fist connected with Sephiroth's jaw, the silver-haired man let go and hissed in surprise. However, this small moment was enough for Sora, to spin around and make a run for it.

"D-damn brat…" Sephiroth mumbled, rubbing his chin. Surely the punch had been a little bit of a surprise… He had never even thought that Sora would actually _fight_ back if he did something. A grin spread to his lips and ran his hand through his long silver hair.

Calmly he started to walk towards the direction his son had run off to, while completely ignoring the aching pain in his jaw.

_This should be fun…_

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Cloud glanced at the clock at the end of the classroom. He let out a loud sigh, as he realized that he'd have to sit in this miserable place for ten more minutes. Grumbling, he ran his hand through his spiky blond hair and tried to concentrate on the English handout in front of him, which seemed like an impossible task.

He had this weird feeling. It was as if something was missing, but he just couldn't tell what. He looked around, trying to see if someone was absent, but after a while, he realized that it wasn't that. Something twisted in his stomach, as he tried to think whatever could be wrong at such a beautiful day. He bit his bottom lip thoughtfully, before deciding to give up, before he'd get a headache.

Suddenly there were some weird noises coming from the loudspeakers in the room. Everyone, including Cloud, turned their heads towards the small speaker right above the classroom's door.

"_How this… Here? O-okay…_" A shrill woman voice echoed from the loudspeakers, causing small snickers erupt through the classroom. The silver-haired math teacher shot his pupils angry glares, immediately silencing everyone and focusing on the sudden announcement, "…_This is Marie Moonflow, your chemistry teacher. Since all of you most likely know me, I'll go straight to the business._

"_It seems that this our principal Rinoa Heartily will be absent for a while, so I'll be taking over her duties for –who knows- how long. I bet we all can have really nice time together, and I promise that there will be no more fooling around. Have a nice day._"

Everyone exchanged glances, terror written all over their features. Cloud, who had never met this 'Marie Moonflow' before lifted his eyebrow, not sure why they all seemed so terrified because of the news.

"Did you hear what he did to Zell Dintch, when he wasn't listening during the class?" A girl, who was wearing eyeglasses whispered to her friend, who shook her head, "…She made him stand in a closet for 24 **hours** without food or water…"

"I heard she used to work in the military… She's some kinda nazi I bet…"

"…If you don't laugh to her jokes, she'll definitely end up making fun of you…"

"She once came to my house to 'talk' with my parents… after she left, both of my parents were so shocked that they barely even spoke…"

Cloud snorted at the small discussions he over heard. He could sense the exaggeration in their voices. It's not like anyone could do something as lock someone in a closet for twenty-four hours… There was most likely some kind of law against that too.

"Okay okay shut up children." Kadaj, the teacher rose to his feet and waved his hand in front of his face, "…Let's focus on this great creators of literature for few more minutes. Remember children- we create our future and we can't—"

"We're not children." A tall blonde teen stated calmly.

"…In my eyes, Seifer, you are." Kadaj narrowed his eyes at Seifer, who just rolled his eyes and kept acting apathetic. The silver-haired man sighed and shrugged, before pointing at some random students in the class, "…But I guess, since you find this task so hard, you can leave to enjoy your lunch break, dear children."

Cloud grimaced as he quickly packed his stuff into his bag. Honestly, Kadaj reminded him of some kind of child molester…

As fast as he could, he left the classroom, heading towards the lobby, where he had promised to meet up with Roxas. He could just hope that the blonde hadn't decided to bring Axel with him… Not that he doubted that Roxas would be able to control his friend, but for some reason, he didn't feel like facing the redhead right now.

Cloud glanced his surroundings, before realizing that he hadn't seen Sora today at all. He shrugged the thought off quickly, and concentrated on finding Roxas in the crowd of countless of students. However, after a while, he realized that all of his attempts were in vain. There was no sight of the blonde teen.

Cloud spun around on his heels, immediately crashing on a brown-haired man, and was nearly knocked down on the floor. The brunette lifted his eyebrow at him, not saying any kind of apology, as he just continued walking past him.

"Squall, please wait!"

Cloud glanced at the direction of the loud yell, and so did the brunette. Both of them watched as a blonde woman made her way through the pupils, violently using her elbows to reach her target. She stopped right in front of the brown-haired man and pulled a strict look on her features, "…Squall, are you sure it's safe for you to go alone?"

The man named Squall snorted, "What, you think that Sora's father would bite my head off, Quistis?"

Quistis shut her mouth into a thin line and folded her arms above her chest, while her clever eyes were glancing the man in front of her through her eyeglasses. After a while, she sighed and shook her head in defeat, "Please Squall, at least take someone with you…"

Cloud, who had happened to overhear the small conversation, took a step forward and tried to catch his voice, "…Uhh, hey…"

The blonde woman immediately spun around and eyed Cloud, "…What is it, dear?"

"I-I just happened to hear your conversation…" Cloud started, shuddering slightly as he gained suspicious glances from the two in front of him, "…Nonono, I wasn't eavesdropping or anything, I just overheard it… So uhh… You know Sora?"

"We wouldn't mention his name if we didn't know him…" Squall stated, as he rubbed his temples, looking slightly annoyed, "I'm through talking to you guys. I'm going there and ask him what he did to Rinoa."

Quistis shivered, and slapped her hand in front of Squall's mouth. She narrowed her eyes dangerously, while scanning the hall, just to make sure that they hadn't caught any unnecessary attention.

"Did… Sora's father do something to Rinoa?" Cloud asked quietly, looking at Quistis then Squall.

"It's most likely Squall being a total paranoid again, but when it comes down to Rinoa, he just can't give up…" Quistis replied weakly, removing her hand from the brunette's mouth, "…But then again, I guess it can't be helped…"

"Oh, I see!" Cloud said happily, grinning at Squall, "Lemme guess- She's your girlfriend?"

Quistis burst out into laughs, but Squall silenced her with only a mere glare. Then the brunette formed an eye contact with Cloud for a brief moment, before snapping his head away, "…Whatever."

"Kneeew it!" Cloud sang and poked his tongue out.

The blonde woman chuckled quietly, before patting Cloud's back and saying, "Why don't you join Squall then? I don't think that he'd mind, especially if he gets someone as cute as you to accompany him." Quistis winked and turned around, her hair elegantly landing on her shoulders, "Try not to fight too much and bring Rinoa back wherever she is. I swear she'll get a lecture she won't easily forget."

Cloud looked at Squall who groaned

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Oh Sora…"

Sora shuddered and held Luca close to his chest. After running around the large mansion for a while, he had decided to hide under a small table in the kitchen, which was probably one of the largest rooms in the house. There were millions of shelves and worktables all around the room, so it wasn't most likely that Sephiroth would find him anytime soon.

"I know you're here So-ra…" Sephiroth's hollow voice echoed in the empty kitchen, causing violent shivers run down Sora's spine.

Sora could hear the footsteps coming louder and louder, as if Sephiroth would have known exactly where he was hiding. The brunette shut his eyes, and held his breath, trying to make himself as invisible as possible.

He didn't know what his father was up to, but from the look in Sephiroth's eyes he could tell that he didn't even want to know.

Suddenly a pair of feet appeared right next to Sora. He gasped silently, and pressed his back against the wall, hoping that his father wouldn't decide to kneel down at that exact moment.

But then again, what would Sephiroth possibly to do him? Lecture? It's not like his own father would kill him or anything… Sora let out a breath he had been holding, as the legs disappeared from his view.

However, his relief suddenly faded, as a tip of a sharp kitchen knife nearly hit his forehead. He gulped and stared at the blade that had just been stabbed right through the surface of the table. He surely was glad that it hadn't dug any deeper to the wood, or the tip of the knife would have probably pierced his head…

"I guess we've played this little hide-and-seek game enough, so we can get down to business…"

Sora jumped slightly, as he noticed that Sephiroth had kneeled down next to the table. His eyes widened as he saw that his father was reaching his hand out towards him, and the first thing he could think of doing was to kick it. But unlike he thought, Sephiroth was much more agile than that, so he easily grabbed his ankle and yanked him from under the table.

"Tsk tsk, I'm not falling into your trap again." Sephiroth chuckled hollowly, "…Like a rose… Looks beautiful and innocent, yet the thorns are deathly sharp."

Sora tried to fight himself free from the grip of the older man, but suddenly his world went black, as the silver-haired man hit the back of his head.

Sephiroth chuckled, and lifted up the unconscious boy.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Riku open the door." Zexion sighed, as he knocked on his brother's door for the tenth time, "I'm sorry okay? Just come out, the dinner's ready…"

The silver-haired man sighed again, waiting for Riku to say something. Eventually he got annoyed of the silence, and reached out to grab the doorknob, "…Whatever you're doing, I'm coming in…"

But when he opened the door, he saw that the room was empty. No sight of his brother. Zexion frowned and glanced around, noticing how the window had been left open, the curtains fluttering with the gentle breeze that blew from their yard.

Zexion shook his head and rubbed his temples. A small chuckle escaped his lips, as he walked to his brother's bed, noticing a small piece of paper lying on top of the blue blankets. He picked it up and read it quickly.

'_Hey you dork-brother, I know you'd barge into my room eventually. You know where I am, so I guess there's no point explaining myself._

_-Riku'_

Zexion laughed and threw the paper over his shoulder. He walked to the window and closed it, smiling widely all the time.

It was time for Riku to take some kind of action. Zexion could only hope that this time he would actually manage to do something in order to steal Sora's heart, even though, it was rather obvious how Sora was already head over heels in love with Riku.

Zexion sighed dramatically, before smirking again.

Maybe Riku wasn't as stupid as he had thought.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Cloud glanced at the large building in front of him. Then he turned to look at the brown-haired man next to him and chuckled awkwardly, "…So this' where Sora lives?"

Squall didn't reply, just continued walking towards the large doors of the mansion. Cloud pouted, but followed him nevertheless. Talking to Squall resembled much like talking to a brick wall… even though Cloud was positive that even a plain wall would be more social than the brunette.

The blonde sighed, as they reached the front door. Cloud closed his eyes, before saying, "Why'd you think Rinoa's here anyways? How do you know Sora and his father?"

"…" Squall lifted his hand to knock on the wooden door. It was as if he had suddenly got deaf, or maybe he was really talented at ignoring people. Cloud snorted and lifted his chin, deciding that he wouldn't say anything to the arrogant brunette anymore.

They stood there in silence, waiting for someone to come and open the door.

But when they finally realized that there would be no one coming, Cloud turned around, ready to leave, but Squall had other plans in mind. He grabbed the doorknob and twisted it, and was slightly surprised that it was open. Without much hesitation, he walked in, not caring whether Cloud followed him or not.

"H-hey!" Cloud gawked, quickly catching up with the other one, "…Y-you just c-can't barge into other people's houses, can you?"

But, just like before, Squall didn't answer, just walked forward. Cloud puffed his cheeks and placed his hands on his hips.

Suddenly the scar-faced man stopped walking and looked over his shoulder, "…I'll go check the upstairs, and you can search through this floor, got it?"

Cloud tried to protest, but before he could say another word, Squall was already walking rapidly up the stairs. The blonde closed his eyes and counted from ten to one, trying to calm down. As if it wasn't enough to just come into someone's house, now he was supposed to search through the rooms.

He cursed under his breath, while walking past the stairs, towards the few rooms in the end of a long corridor.

He gulped loudly as he stood in front of a normal looking door. He didn't want to be nosy or anything, but then again… he had promised that he would help to search for Rinoa. And who knows, maybe he would find Sora too… and then he could ask Sora if he knew where Rinoa was.

Gathering all of his courage, he opened the door and stepped into an office-looking room. He looked around, as he took one step further in, examining the room and it's furniture.

"H-hello? Anyone here?" He asked, hoping that there would be no answer. He stopped all of his movements to listen if there were any sound coming from the rooms around him. When he couldn't hear anything, he let out a breath he had been holding and smiled a little.

He walked further into the room, glancing at portraits hanging on the walls. They were mostly landscapes, but there were few pictures of a brown-haired woman too. Cloud frowned, as he walked a little bit closer and examined the beautiful woman. She reminded him of Sora. Those features and that gentle look… they were definitely Sora's.

…But that's not all. The woman of the picture reminded him of…

"Look what we have here…"

Cloud's heart jumped to his throat, and he quickly spun around on his heels. He saw a silver-haired man standing on the doorway, supporting his weight on the doorframe, a mischievous grin on his lips.

"A-ah! I'm sorry!" Cloud stammered, bowing his head humbly, "…I didn't mean to. We-… I mean, I, came to ask if you knew anything about Rinoa… A-and I came to check on Sora too because he wasn't at the school today, so I kind of figured that he was sick or something and since I'm his friend I wanted to come and say hello."

"I see." The man said, his eyes holding a dangerous look in his eyes. He started to slowly approach the blonde boy, who tried to remain still, despite the odd glances he gained from the older male.

"S-so I guess, if you don't know anything about Rinoa, I should leave…" Cloud mumbled, his eyes lowered on the floor, as he started to walk forward. But when he was about to walk past Sephiroth, the said one grabbed his wrist. Cloud grimaced at the harsh grip, before looking at the silver-haired man, "…I understand, mister, if you're angry, but please understand that I didn't mean any harm. And I swear I didn't touch anything."

A weird grin came to Sephiroth's lips, as he turned his head toward Cloud, his eyes piercing right through him, "…Oh, why such a haste? It's not everyday that I get cute boy guests in my house…"

"I really think that I should leave…" Cloud paled slightly, trying to pull his hand back. But Sephiroth just tightened his grip and smirked a little bit more. The blonde started to panic slightly, as he realized that there was no escape from the room. There was only the door, but it was on the other side of the room…

"What's wrong?" Sephiroth asked, fake concern echoing in his voice, "…Don't tell me that you're thinking of how you could escape from me?"

Cloud's eyes widened, as he was suddenly thrown against a wall. He hissed in pain, as the air seemed to leave his lungs for a moment. Quickly he fixed his blue eyes at Sephiroth, all of the politeness was gone, "…I don't know what you want from me, but if I was you, I would let go off of me at this very moment."

"Uhh, scary…" Sephiroth… purred? Cloud shivered at the thought, trying to keep his strict face on. The silver-haired man leaned towards him, his eyes suddenly clouded and hazy, "…But you know… that's the thing that turns me on the most…"

"Y-you pervert!" Cloud spat, trying to kick Sephiroth's leg, but before he could even properly lift his foot, the silver-haired man pushed against him, preventing him from moving any of his limbs. Cloud gasped, slamming his free hand on the other one's stomach.

But instead of moving, Sephiroth just laughed and calmly trapped his hand, "…That's the second time today I get hit by someone…"

Cloud inhaled a sharp gasp, as Sephiroth pushed his elbow against his throat, as if trying to choke him.

"Now then, I guess we both agree that naughty boys must be punished." The older male stated quietly. He had pinned Cloud against the wall without much of an effort, and that's probably what scared the blonde the most. Usually he would have been able to put on even some kind of fight.

"**S-Squall!**" Cloud yelled desperately, hoping that the brunette would hear his plea for help.

Sephiroth chuckled, as he brushed his nose against Cloud's neck, "…It's okay, you can shout as loud as you want. It's not like anyone would actually hear and come save you." He explained, his voice unnaturally calm.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that."

Sephiroth let out a frustrated sigh and looked over his shoulder at Squall. However, his expression froze suddenly, and he pulled away from Cloud, who fell on the floor and gasped for air.

"That scar…" Sephiroth stared at the scar in the middle of Squall's face. A weird, half-smile came to his features and he narrowed his eyes dangerously, "…It's you… Leon."

Cloud looked at Sephiroth, then at Squall, lifting his eyebrow quizzically.

"No." The brown-haired man replied, shaking his head a little, "…I'm not Leon anymore."

Sephiroth gritted his teeth and balled his fists. It seemed as if he was ready to jump on Squall and strangle him to death, but somehow he managed to hold his anger inside. Instead, he just eyed the brunette, countless of different emotions crossed his eyes, "…You sure have grown. Even though I mostly hoped that you would be dead already."

Squall just stood there, without saying a word. That seemed to annoy Sephiroth to no end, as he eventually turned back at Cloud, who was still sitting on the floor, his back pressed against the wall.

"I guess you came to rescue your boyfriend. How very admirable." Sephiroth said slyly, while pulling Cloud up and snaking his arm around his waist, ignoring the punches and kicks he gained, "…But I'm afraid that I'm not done yet."

"He's not my boyfriend."

Sephiroth smirked at Squall, before turning his head towards Cloud and licking his ear. Then he looked back at the scar-faced man, noticing that there was no kind of emotion in his features.

"Oh, it seems that you don't care… So I guess it means that I can keep this young man all to myself then." The silver-haired man stated, before leaning towards Cloud again, this time aiming to the spot between his shoulder blade and neck.

"Squall! Do something!" Cloud screamed, as he tried to push Sephiroth away, but in vain, "…Y-you c-can't just s-stand there!"

But Squall didn't move at all. Cloud couldn't believe his eyes and he gave a hurt-filled look at the brown-haired male, before continuing his struggle against Sephiroth, "Let go off of me you damn pedophile!"

Suddenly Cloud felt Sephiroth's grip loosen, as he slowly fell on the floor. He looked up at Squall, who was holding a broken vase that he had probably smacked on Sephiroth's head just mere seconds ago.

"Squall!" Cloud smiled in relief, trying to resist an urge to hug his saviour. He stared the man on the floor with disgust, before taking few steps away, just to be safe, "…T-thanks… For a while I thought that I would lose my virginity because of that old disgusting man…"

Squall turned around and dropped the broken vase on the floor, before walking towards the door. He stopped at the doorway and said, "…I'm sorry to tell you that that disgusting old man is my father."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A/N: I hope Sora's brother being Squall/Leon was a surprise… I admit that I first thought that Cloud would be his brother, but when it became too obvious, I decided to swap it like this, and (at least to me) it seems reasonable…

Thank you for the many many many reviews I got. I love you all ;D

Oh yeah, and I got KH 2 last Friday. And I finished it by Sunday, and I was like WOW O.O I swear the ending was the most shounen-ai thing I've ever seen! Riku and Sora are just made for each other, and there's no denying that. And, also, after SasuNaru pairing, I've never seen anything as obvious as AkuRoku… I mean honestly! You gotta be blind if you deny their little love-relationship!

Anyways, hope to see you soon again.


	12. Memories Of Hatred

**My Fatal Reality**

**About the story** – Yea, I don't know why, but somehow I found myself writing a new fiction about Kingdom Hearts. The **pairings** are RikuxSora?xSora, and many more. So if you don't like **shounen-ai**/**yaoi**, please don't read any further. **Bad grammar, angst, Sora- torturing, angst, dark themes, angst** and of course, **boy loving another boy** Oh yeah, and did I mention **angst**? This was first supposed to be DNAngel fic... But… I feel like writing KH stuff ;P

Oh yeah, also mild **Kairi-bashing**.

**Disclaimer** – I do not own Kingdom Hearts.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Chapter 12 – Memories Of Hatred

Sora opened his eyes, feeling a sharp pain pierce right through his head, wanting him to close his eyes again. After moaning and gritting his teeth for a while, he looked up and saw an unfamiliar looking room around him.

Dust filled his lungs, as he tried to inhale a deep breath. He coughed and stood up, even though he didn't completely trust his feet just yet. He sniffed the air and wrinkled his nose. It smelled disgusting… like food that had been on a table too long and got spoiled.

"Where am I?" Sora asked out loud, while taking few steps forward. When he glanced up at the lamp that was blinking annoyingly, he nearly tripped on something that was lying on the floor. He looked down and saw this 'something' being covered by a worm-eaten blanket. The brunette frowned, as he knelt down next to the thing.

He quickly stood up again. It seemed like the thing on the floor was the source of the bad smell lingering in the room. He covered his nose with his hand, as he bowed down and grabbed the blanket and pulled it away.

What he saw next, made his eyes snap wide open. He dropped the blanket back and backed away from the _person_ sprawled on the floor. He gasped, as a table stopped his escaping, and he nearly collapsed on top of it.

It wasn't until that moment, Sora noticed a large lake of dried up blood coming from under the blanket that was covering the corpse. He closed his eyes and read his prayers, hoping that this all was only a nightmare, and he'd soon wake up again and notice that he was lying on Riku's bed.

But no matter how many times he silently repeated reassuring words to himself, he didn't find himself waking up. In fact, each second only made the reality seem much clearer and painful.

"What's wrong Sora?"

Sora's eyes shot open and he slowly turned his head towards the direction of the voice. Rinoa was standing there, a sweet smile curving her lips upwards and hands placed on her hips. But despite the smile, there was no life in her eyes and she was as pale as a ghost. She giggled sadly, before taking few steps towards the brown-haired boy, "…I wonder what you're doing here."

"W-what…" Sora tried to find his voice, but his dry throat prevented him from keeping much noise, "…R-R-Rinoa?"

Rinoa kept smiling and nodded her head. She glanced at the corpse, that was covered by a blanket, before sighing sadly, "…This' the place where everyone, who defies Sephiroth, goes. And… from here, there is no turning back. Not for me or your mother… not for you."

Sora started to relax, "…You're dead Mrs. Heartily."

"That's right Sora." The dark-haired woman replied quietly, her eyes drifting towards the floor again, "…And that's where my body lies. And it'll stay there, god knows, for how long… I wonder how long it takes for it to decay…"

"Why do I see you?"

Rinoa eyed Sora, the smile never leaving her lips. Her appearance was both reassuring and scary at the same time. Even though Sora could feel a weird coldness coming from her, she didn't seem like she would want to harm him.

"You don't see me Sora." Rinoa said calmly, "…You're merely imagining me."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Roxas sat by one of tables in the school's cafeteria. After searching for Cloud for a while in vain, he had decided to give up and eat his lunch alone. If Cloud was wise enough, he'd eventually understand to come in the cafeteria too.

The blonde boy glanced his surroundings, feeling somewhat weird, as he sat there all alone, when everyone else had big group of friends around them. He sighed and shook his head, scolding himself for thinking about being isolated. He had friends, of course he had. They just didn't happen to be here right now…

"Heya Roxie." Said Axel, who patted his friend on his shoulder, before sitting down next to him, "Something buggin' you? I swear I just saw few storm clouds floating right above your head."

"I'm fine, thank you very much." Roxas rolled his eyes, but couldn't help but feel happier when Axel was there with him. He looked at the redhead, smiling happily, "I was just feeling lonely sitting here all by myself."

Axel grinned and reached his hand out to ruffle the other one's blonde hair.

"Hey, cut it out!" Roxas mumbled, slapping Axel's hand away and earning a half-hearted laugh from the other boy.

"Aww, Roxy's scared that I might ruin his carefully done hair-do." Axel said, while snatching a toast from his friend's hands, mischievously smiling at Roxas, who pouted hardly, "…Oh Roxy, you really don't have to prepare lunch for me. But I guess I can take your kind offer this time…"

"Heyhey, that's mine!"

But before Roxas was able to save his lunch, it already disappeared into Axel's mouth. The blonde sighed and let his head drop on the table with a loud 'bang'. The red-haired teen winced, and chuckled, "Ouch that looked like it hurt."

"…It did…" Roxas replied weakly, not bothering to lift his forehead from the table.

Axel leaned his elbow on his knees and stared at his friend. There was no conversation between them for a while, only the loud noise of the other students filling the silence. Roxas could feel the green eyes staring at him, but he decided that it was maybe better if he acted as if he didn't notice.

After a while, Axel had had enough of the lack of conversation and said, "Hey Roxas, you know that this weekend my parents will be gone for a while. So I thought that you could come over and we could rent some movies or something… So whaddaya say?"

"You mean… like just the two of us?" Roxas said, his voice sounding more excited than he had meant it to.

"Yeah. Just the two of us and some spooky horror movie." Axel nodded his head, before poking the smaller boy's forehead and standing up, "…Though this time I won't let you sleep next to me, no matter how scared you are. Last time you kicked me out of the bed in the middle of the night, so I ended up sleeping on the floor."

"I can't remember doing anything like that…" Roxas blushed a little, turning his head away from Axel, who laughed and ran his hand through his red locks. Then he stood up and patted Roxas' shoulder. The said one gave him a cute pout, "You're leaving already?"

"Yep, gotta take care of something. See you around Roxy."

The blonde boy watched after his friend, and when he disappeared from his sight, he sighed and leaned his head on his palms. He had suddenly lost all of his appetite.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Cloud followed Squall out of Sephiroth's office, his eyes ever so wide, "…A-are you telling me that… that freak is your father?"

Squall didn't respond, only kept walking forward, towards the front door. For some reason, Cloud had this 'I'm-talking-to-a-deaf-guy'-feeling. With a pout, he caught up with the emotionless man and grabbed his shoulder, "Why don't you ever listen when I'm talking to yo-…"

"What do you expect me to say?"

The reply was so cold and sharp that Cloud yanked his hand back and backed away.

Squall didn't move. They were standing in front of the front door, the brunette holding his hand on the doorknob. Cloud tried to think of something to strike back with, but every time he opened his mouth, he couldn't think of anything to say.

"…You know nothing of anything, Strife." The taller male spat, before opening the door and walking out loudly.

But instead of yelling after Squall, Cloud just stood there frowning, "Hey…" he said out loud, thoughtful look on his features. Hastily he caught up with the other one again, jumping in front of him and trying to block his way, "…How the heck do you know my last name!"

"None of your business." Squall said, as he easily walked past the blonde, "…Go home."

Cloud folded his arms above his chest and narrowed his beautiful blue eyes, "No."

"You're being childish."

"So are you."

"Leave me alone."

"You're such an ass and I mean it."

They both inhaled deep breaths and glared at each other. After a while Cloud snorted and looked away, starting to get tired of exchanging furious glares with the other one.

"Fine I'm leaving." The blonde stated and started walking again, this time it was Squall's turn to follow him, "…I hope you find your girlfriend soon enough. Though, I still don't get it why'd you search for her in a place like… _this_."

"Shut up."

Cloud looked over his shoulder at the other male, slightly confused. He wondered what he had said wrong this time, but shrugged the thought off and replaced the look of confusion to a frown and a tired glare to Squall, "…What did I do now?"

"Rinoa isn't my girlfriend." Squall said calmly, his emotionless eyes piercing through Cloud.

"Oh. Well, it really isn't my business, but you could've said it earlier." The younger one shrugged, but as he started to take steps forward again, a hard grip on his wrist stopped him. He looked at Squall, annoy written all over his features, "What _now_?"

"Don't ever come back here again. If you see Sephiroth anytime, anywhere, just turn back and walk away." Squall's voice was quiet, as he looked down at his companion, his lips nearing the other one's ear.

The whisper tickled Cloud's neck and he shivered slightly, "…W-why?"

Squall let go off of the blonde's hand, but didn't say anything.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sora leaned the back of his head on the brick wall behind him. Memories repeating themselves in his mind made his eyes oddly aching, and his surroundings started to get blurry and hard to see. The dim light suddenly became so bright that Sora had to close his eyes.

The walls around him felt like closing towards him. His heart beat fast and his breath was caught in his throat. He knew the room was empty, and that was the reason why he was so afraid of it.

The emptiness… Nothing but a lifeless body of Rinoa in the middle of the floor, a small table and a coffin, which Sora tried so hard to ignore. Even Luca wasn't there with him. This time he was alone, against all of them, once they decided to come back to him.

He tried to focus on something happy, but all the thoughts broke into pieces and revealed dirty background behind them. The reality always found a way to show its true nature at the times like these. Sora gritted his teeth, fighting against his own mind, trying to stop thinking of Riku or the things he had said.

Sora saw few figures passing him by, and watched as they walked through a wall, as if it was merely air. He bit his lip and hugged his knees against his chest. Maybe if he sat there silently, he would be left unnoticed and untouched.

"Sora…"

Sora didn't look up, but he knew who it was. He sighed and mumbled, "…You're… dead too… aren't you, mom?" The brunette said, while lifting his chin and looking at Aerith in front of him.

"…If you wish me to be." Aerith replied, as she knelt down in front of Sora, "…But I'm right here, right now, am I not?"

The brown-haired boy's bottom lip started to tremble. He pressed his eyes against his palms, almost painfully, as a sudden emotion swept over him, causing him to lose all of the control over his own body.

…So it all had been only a dream after all…

"…Sora, I can't be anything you don't want me to be, but then again, I'm everything you dream me to be." Aerith explained, sitting next to Sora, "…But as long as you want me to be here, I'll be here. Aren't you happy? You'll never have to be alone."

"I… I want to be alone."

Aerith winced, but remained quiet. She sighed and looked weakly at the coffin in the darkest corner of the room, "…None of us can ever be completely alone. There is always someone, watching over us and taking care of us."

"You're wrong." Sora stated plainly, his shoulders slumping, "…Normal people can be alone if they want to… B-but… I can't. Because of you-… Because of everyone, in here…" he continued and pointed his head with his finger.

"You're right Sora."

Aerith gasped, and looked at the Shadow, standing in front of them. Sora bowed his head down, and didn't see how the brown-haired woman suddenly disappeared.

The Shadow sat in front of Sora, its cold hand resting on his thigh. Sora knew exactly what his dark half was after. It's not that it mattered to him anymore… everything had lost their meaning and his life was completely in vain. There was nothing why he should resist the Shadow anymore. All of his efforts would be just futile attempts to delay his judgement.

Why he should try to save himself from the Shadow… now that there was no light in his life anymore.

…Riku wasn't there anymore.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Riku ran towards Sora's house the fastest he could. He assumed that the brown-haired boy would be there, since he probably wouldn't go back to school after Zexion had called the principal and all. He panted heavily, as he finally saw Sora's home behind a small hill.

Much of his surprise, he saw Squall walking towards him, a blonde boy, not much older than him, next to him. He lifted his eyebrow and waved his hand in the air, "Yo Squall!"

The brown-haired man just nodded his head and stopped in front of Riku, "…Where're you going?"

"I'm looking for Sora." Riku stated quickly, looking over Squall's shoulder at the big mansion, "…You were there just now? Was Sora there?"

"…No." Squall replied, shaking his head slowly, "…I didn't see him at the very least. But I advice you not to go there."

Riku blinked his eyes, before folding his arms above his chest and giving a strict look to the scar-faced man, "I have to. I gotta find Sora and tell him that I'm sorry." He said, his eyes straying from Squall and landing at Cloud, "…Who's he?"

"I'm Cloud." The blonde rolled his eyes. Then he turned to look at Squall, a concerned look in his eyes, "…But if Sora's home, don't you think we should go get him out of there? I don't think it'd be wise to leave him in that house with that psychopathic man… Lord knows what he'd do to him…"

Squall snorted and shrugged in an apathetic way.

Cloud frowned angrily and punched the brunette's arm, "Stop being an arse like that!" he snapped at the cold man, before turning his attention at Riku, "…If you're going to go check on Sora, I'm with you. Though, I'm not stepping into that house alone ever again."

Riku nodded his head and started to walk towards Sora's house again, Cloud following closely behind.

"What the hell did I just tell you, Strife?" Squall said, his voice slightly louder than usually. Cloud looked over his shoulder and gave the other one a confused glare, "I told you not to go back there."

"You have no right to boss me around!" Cloud yelled back at Squall, starting to get really pissed off because of the other one's attitude. He narrowed his blue eyes, before turning his head back around and mumbling angrily something that either Squall or Riku couldn't hear.

Squall balled his fists angrily and with few long paces he reached Cloud and shoved him against a wall that happened to be right next to them. The blonde felt a slight déjà vu and glared at Squall, "…If I didn't know you were as cold as a freezer, I'd say that you're worried about me."

"You have no clue what's been happening in that house."

Cloud closed his eyes and inhaled a deep breath. Squall was slowly starting to get on his nerves, and he was positive that the brunette understood it too.

Riku had stopped walking and was now staring at the display with interest.

"I'm going." Cloud said, examining the brunette man with his eyes, "…I can't leave Sora there."

"Why do you worry about Sora so much?" Squall snapped, more angrily than he had meant to. He looked at the wall behind Cloud's back, but carefully avoided looking at the blonde.

"Don't you worry about him then?" Cloud asked slowly, yet dangerously, "He is your brother after all… How can you be so cold? How can you act as if you didn't care about him!"

Squall didn't reply, but just lowered his gaze at the ground.

"…I see." Cloud mumbled, before shoving the brown-haired man away from him and ran to Riku, firm pout on his lips, "…He's such a jerk…"

Riku glanced at Squall, who just stood still. The silver-haired boy frowned and turned around, only to see that Cloud was already a good way ahead of him. He sighed and started to walk, not sure if he should have said something to Squall or not.

"Wait, Riku."

Riku stopped walking and waited for Squall to walk next to him, "…I can't let Cloud go back there all alone."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sephiroth groaned and stood up slowly. The back of his head was aching and he could feel something drip down his back. He rubbed his neck, as he tried to recall what had happened just a while ago.

"Leon…" He gritted his teeth, as he remembered the brown-haired man, who had hit him with some damned flower vase.

This hurt Sephiroth's ego. Badly.

The silver-haired man sighed and wiped his blood-covered hand on his pants. Lazily he walked towards the door of his office. His blood was boiling with anger, even one of his maid seemed to notice that, when she quickly disappeared behind a corner as she saw Sephiroth approaching.

With a satisfied smirk, Sephiroth stepped into the large dining hall. He stepped on something soft and glanced down. He saw Sora's ragged teddy bear lying there and he wrinkled his nose, "…Stupid little thing."

He kicked Luca and it flew against a small shelf. He chuckled and continued walking, until he reached the kitchen. After scanning his surroundings he found the room empty and quickly proceeded to a table, which was nearby a large window. On top of the table was a tiny and round package. Sephiroth picked it up and opened it, taking out two white pills.

He gazed out of the window, his lips curving up in amusement, as he saw three figures walking towards his house.

"…Persistent fools, aren't they?…" he rolled his eyes and picked up a sharp knife, "…Well well. There's someone I can't let them get away with."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Cloud opened the front door and poked his head inside. Complete silence welcomed him and reassured him to step inside. Riku and Squall followed right behind him, both of them glancing around and making sure that no one would ambush them once they were inside.

"…Looks like it's all clear…" Cloud whispered to the other two males, before tiptoeing forward.

Riku looked through a door that was left wide open. His eyes spotted a brown teddy bear lying on the floor, "Luca!" He ran into the room and picked up Luca, who was covered with dust, "…Sora wouldn't leave Luca lying around…"

Riku turned around and looked at Cloud and Squall, who had appeared right behind his back. He gave them a worried look, "…We gotta find Sora."

The silver-haired boy ran past the other two. Cloud looked at the man next to him and nodded his head, before running after Riku. Squall sighed and shook his head.

This was going to be a one troublesome day. With yet another sigh, he started to walk after the two males.

The whole house was dangerously quiet. There was no one around, not even Sephiroth, even though Squall was positive that he wasn't lying on the same place where they had left him anymore. He couldn't even see any maids around.

He followed Riku and Cloud into Sora's bedroom, where they both started to search for clues. He inhaled a deep breath and walked towards a shelf on the other side of the room. He picked up a small photo that had beautiful wooden frames. There was Aerith, Sephiroth, Sora and a person whose head had been cut out of the picture. He shook his head and mumbled, "…You must really hate me."

"Huh?" Cloud asked and looked at Squall, "…Did you say something?"

Squall didn't reply, but just placed the picture back to its place. His emotionless expression turned into a sad smile, as he looked at Yuna's picture next to their family portrait. He had to admit that he was jealous to Sora. He had never had to live a life with fear that someone comes and kills you while you're fast asleep.

Squall chuckled hollowly. Sora was lucky and what he had ever done to deserve that? He was nothing special so why was Riku so anxious to find him? Why _Cloud_ wanted to find him so badly?

He bit his lip, as the wave of envy swept over him for some reason.

"Squall, your spacing out is terrifying."

The scar-faced man looked at Cloud, who had walked next to him. With annoyed sigh he turned around and walked towards the door. He didn't care if Cloud sent him angry glares or if Riku looked at his quizzically. This place just forced him to remember everything he had already learnt to leave behind. Everything that he had tried to forget came back to him, no matter how hard he tried to fight back, "…I'll be outside."

Cloud pouted and folded his arms above his chest. So much for acting a hero, he thought, while running his hands through his spiky hair.

"What's his problem?" Riku asked, lifting his eyebrow, "I thought he didn't want you to be alone here?"

The blonde shrugged and tried to hide his disappointed look. For a while he had really thought that even Squall had a nicer side. But… maybe he had been wrong after all, "…He could burn in hell as long as I care." Cloud stated angrily, before walking into Sora's small bathroom, leaving Riku stand in the middle of the room.

In the bathroom, Cloud frowned as he saw a small pocket knife on a table next to a sink. He picked it up and examined the stain on it.

Riku watched as Cloud returned from the room with a horrified look on his face. He held a knife between his fingers, as far from himself as possible, "…Don't you think that this stain here resembles disturbingly much of blood?"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Roxas sighed a deep sigh. It was one of those boring pre-lesson moments that he had absolutely nothing to do. Since teacher hadn't yet shown up, everyone was chatting and laughing or sleeping. Or, more like, pretending to be asleep. It's not like someone could actually sleep when there were so damn much of noise. Roxas rolled his crystal-blue eyes and ran his fingertip on the surface of his table. How come teachers were allowed to come late, but not the students?

Suddenly a hand was placed on his desk and he looked up at a blonde boy. A pained grimace swept over his features, as he recognized a familiar face.

"Heeyoo, Roxy-boy."

"Go away Hayner…" Roxas groaned, "I still don't want to go out with you, period."

Hayner, the school's biggest clown, smirked and leaned towards the other one. Everyone turned his or her attention toward them, as if watching a soap opera.

Of course Hayner was nothing but proud of all the attention drawn to him, "You just love to break my heart Roxy all over and over again… It can't be _that_ bad… Just you and me and some hot sex in a king sized bed? Or how 'bout doing it right here and right now? I'll promise not the be too… _rough_."

Roxas shivered in disgust and turned his head away. He knew very well that Hayner didn't flirt with him because he had liked him. He only did that for those starry eyed girls, who were staring at him at this very moment. In Roxas' eyes it was rather pathetic and he couldn't understand why he had to pick _him_ out of all the people.

"I see this seat next to you isn't taken, so I guess I could sit here." Hayner said slyly, glancing at the girls surrounding him and giving them a wide grin. All of the girls seemed to be ready to swoon every time now… Then the blonde looked at the boy next to him and gave him a flirtatious smile, "How are you today, hun?"

"I hate to destroy your little dreamworld, but we are not lovers, not even friends." Roxas spat and narrowed his eyes, "Now that we've gone through this daily-routine, you could as well leave."

Hayner patted Roxas' shoulder and shook his head, holding back chuckles, "Listen babe, s'okay if you don't want to come outta the closet yet." He said with a mischievous grin, "But worry not Roxy- I shall be here once you decide to let the world know about your sexuality! And so will the endless group of fangirls, who adore our love- who adore me."

At this point, Roxas realized that the cleverest idea was to ignore Hayner completely.

For a while he thought that Hayner had finally given up and left, but suddenly a hand made its way to his inner thigh. He let out a sharp gasp and jumped to his feet, glancing furiously Hayner, who just grinned like an idiot, "Oops, my hand slipped."

Roxas puffed his cheeks and flung his hand across the arrogant blonde's face. After leaving a very cute handprint on Hayner's cheek, he turned around, "…Oops, mine too." He picked up his stuff and went to sit on another open desk on the other side of the class. Even if it wasn't window seat, at least it was far away from Hayner…

The whole class erupted into heavy laughs, but it was cut out short when the teacher Cid stepped into the class and started cussing at everyone who was brave enough not to stop laughing.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A/N: Ehh... At least it's little bit longer than the last chapter… Thank you all the reviews. I dunno how to thank you enough you're all awesome. :3


	13. Land & Sky

**My Fatal Reality**

**About the story** – Yea, I don't know why, but somehow I found myself writing a new fiction about Kingdom Hearts. The **pairings** are RikuxSora?xSora, and many more. So if you don't like **shounen-ai**/**yaoi**, please don't read any further. **Bad grammar, angst, Sora- torturing, angst, dark themes, angst** and of course, **boy loving another boy** Oh yeah, and did I mention **angst**? This was first supposed to be DNAngel fic... But… I feel like writing KH stuff ;P

Oh yeah, also mild **Kairi-bashing**.

**Disclaimer** – I do not own Kingdom Hearts.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Chapter 13 – Land & Sky

Sora had no idea how long he had been in this cellar. His whole body trembled. He hated to admit it, but he was scared. He was scared, because he didn't know what would happen next. He had no clue how long he would have to sit there, wait for Sephiroth to come and get him. Maybe his father had forgot him down there? Maybe he would die here, just like Rinoa?

Speaking of which, Sora's eyes wandered across the room, until they landed at Rinoa's corpse. He didn't know how or why it was there, nor he cared to know. He wanted to scream for help, but he knew that no one would hear him. He would just die to starvation here eventually. His stomach grumbled, when he thought of food. A sigh escaped his lips, and he hugged his knees. The floor of the cellar was awfully cold too… not to mention the air. Sora felt as if he was going to freeze soon.

He bit his lip and tried to think of something that would help him to kill some time, while waiting for his death to come and take him away. To be honest, he wasn't afraid of death anymore. After thinking it through, he decided that it would be more like a relief if he could just give up and fall asleep, never waking up. He wouldn't have to worry about things that troubled his everyday life. He wouldn't have to know or feel anything anymore. Yes, that sounded like a nice thing.

But on the other hand, if he died here and now, he would never be able to see Riku again. He could never tell him how he felt… Sora sighed and closed his eyes. Even a small moment with Riku would be enough… Just to know how he really felt. Even if the silver-haired boy didn't like him back, at least he could tell him that in his life there was no one else, but him. A smile came to his features, as he thought of Riku. His voice… his eyes… his touch… Everything had been so perfect. So how he had ended up here, with broken heart?

Sora shook his head weakly. He was already losing it… Thinking about such things as that at a moment like this. He chuckled as he thought what Riku would say if he heard his thoughts right now… Probably laugh and hug him, then tell him that it's alright, tomorrow's maybe a brighter day… Yeah that was exactly what Riku would do, Sora thought and smiled.

Suddenly a sound of the door opening made Sora snap his head up. Soon the figure of his father appeared in front of him and he gave him a hopeful smile, "Can I go now, father?"

Sephiroth looked at Sora, a weird look gracing on his features. He kneeled down and placed his hand on the brunette's shoulder, squeezing it slightly, "Yes Sora. Do you want to go see your mother?"

"But I…" Sora started awkwardly, trying to think of continuation to his sentence, "…I see her everyday…"

"Nonsense." His father chuckled, while standing up and walking to the other side of the room, next to the wooden coffin. He looked at Sora and pointed with his finger the object next to him, "…You see, she's right here."

Sora nodded his head slowly, "I know."

"Then how can you say that you'd see her everyday?"

The brown-haired boy sighed, before shrugging tiredly, "…She didn't want to leave me alone."

Sephiroth remained quiet for a while, before bursting out into heavy laughter that echoed hollowly in the room. After few laughs, he glared at his son dangerously, "…You have no idea what you're talking about. You're just as crazy as she was. I don't understand why I've let you live this long… I guess I wanted to let you learn to love life, so it would be more fun to take it away."

"…My life…" Sora said sadly, "…My life is a complete Hell. I don't care what you'll do to me. If my life ended here, I'd be freed from all the things I have to go through day after day."

The arrogant look from Sephiroth's face faded.

"But I…" the teenager continued, keeping his head bowed down humbly, "…I just want to see Riku again… Only… one more time… please…"

Sephiroth glanced at Sora for a brief moment, before starting to laugh again. Slowly he walked to the brunette and pulled him up. He stared at him, something weird flashing in his eyes as a smirk curved his lips upwards. Gently he ran his hand on Sora's silky cheek, causing the said one to shudder, "…Every one of us have weaknesses. But even a bigger mistake is to let other people to know about your mistakes."

Something dug into Sora's shoulder. He opened his mouth to scream, but unlike he had thought, only a choked cry passed his lips. His feet gave up and he slowly fell on the cold floor. He looked down and saw blood pouring down from a hole right under his collarbone. Then he looked at Sephiroth, who was holding a knife that was now covered with red liquid… His blood.

"W-wha…" Sora gasped, pressing his hand against the bleeding spot, "…Wh…why?"

Sephiroth turned around, his whole appearance radiating with satisfaction, "…Well, if you want some answers, simply ask your beloved mother on the other side."

Sora watched as his father disappeared from his view. He tried to keep breathing normally, but the air was caught in his throat. He gritted his teeth, trying to numb the pain with reassuring thoughts, even though it was completely in vain, since he couldn't even think properly anymore. He fell on his stomach, wincing in pain, as his shoulder hit the floor. He closed his eyes and mumbled his prayers. He knew that the end was nearing. He knew that soon he would run out of the blood, if the bleeding didn't stop.

Panicked tears rolled down from the corners of his eyes. He would never see Riku again… He could never tell him the things he wanted to say. He gritted his teeth and gathered all of his strength, somehow managing to get back up on his feet. After few stumbling steps, he fell again, leaving another bloodstain on the floor.

"…Riku…" Riku. Ri-ku. _Riku._ **Riku.**

Sora bit his lip and stubbornly got up once again. His steps were staggering, but somehow he managed to walk to the beginning of the stairway that led back to the first floor. As he pulled himself up the stairs, only one thought filled his mind- Riku.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Hayner, would you just leave me alone?" Roxas sighed, as he was walking through a long corridor, "…In case you didn't notice, the school day ended, so you can go home now…"

Hayner chuckled and patted Roxas' back… dangerously close to his more private area. The smaller blonde narrowed his eyes dangerously at Hayner, who just kept snickering, "Aww, but Roxy, we could be really good friends, don'tcha think?"

Roxas sighed and turned around, looking straight into Hayner's eyes, "In fact, it's probably you who isn't thinking, because you seem to be more interested in following your libido than your head." He explained, folding his arms firmly over his chest, "Now if you excuse me, I have nothing else to say to you."

But as Roxas tried to turn back around, Hayner grabbed his shoulder and spun him back around. The blue-eyed one gave him an annoyed glare, which turned into confusion, as Hayner slowly pushed him against lockers behind his back. Roxas frowned, feeling uncomfortable beneath the other teen, who just kept pushing himself closer and closer to him.

"So you really do have an attitude problem, just like they say." Roxas mumbled under his breath, his arms still folded above his chest.

"Heh, I guess you could say that." Hayner let a short chuckle cross his lips, before he leaned closer in. Roxas turned his head away, as a blush crept to his features. The older one smirked and poked Roxas' nose, "…I like your style. We could be really good friends and get really popular among girls, y'know?"

"Oh, you mean by pretending to be gays, is that your plan?"

"Yes, well, it always helps…" Hayner laughed and held his chin thoughtfully, "…Buuut, we could stop pretending and really be _gays_…"

Roxas rolled his eyes, before shoving the other boy away and continuing to walk towards the exit of the school. Luckily there was no one but he and Hayner in that same corridor… or should he say, unlucky? It was hard to tell… But then again, Hayner would molest him in front of everyone and Roxas knew that through experience…

Hayner caught up with the other one easily and flung his arm around Roxas' shoulders, a large smirk plastered on his lips, as he gave him a light squeeze, "I was just kiddin'. I don't really swing that way, I just wanted to see your reaction… and believe me- it was worth it. You should've seen yer face, hahaha!"

"Ha-ha, you're so funny Hayner." Roxas groaned, and squirmed away from Hayner's half-embrace, "Why don't you just leave me alone already? I haven't done anything to you!"

And with those words, Roxas ran away the fastest he could, leaving Hayner stand in the middle of the corridor, a goofy grin on his lips. The blonde shook his head and ran his hand through his hair, before slumping his shoulders and letting all of his confidence fade away.

"…See you tomorrow Rox."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Where could he be?" Riku cried in frustration and tugged his hair. After searching through all of the rooms, there was still no sight of Sora. In fact, there was no sight of anyone. It seemed as if the whole mansion would have been suddenly abandoned. The silver-haired boy inhaled a deep breath and leaned his back on a nearby wall, "…I was so sure that he'd be here… Where else he could have gone?"

Cloud gave Riku a concerned glance and shrugged, "And now Squall's gone too…"

Riku sighed and looked at Luca. It was pretty unlikely that Sora would just leave it lying around. Riku couldn't tell why, but he had a bad feeling about the whole thing. What if someone had broken into their house and kidnapped him? Riku chuckled sadly, as he remembered how easily he had been able to come here… It was suspicious that there was no security system…

"I'll go look out for that idiot… He's probably waiting outside. Be right back…" Cloud mumbled, as he started to jog towards the front door, leaving Riku alone with Luca. But before he opened the large door that lead to the courtyard, he looked over his shoulder and said, "…If you see a tall silver-haired man… run away."

Riku gave the spiky-haired man a quizzical look, but Cloud didn't stay to explain himself. Riku rolled his eyes and looked up at the ceiling. He was starting to lose all the hope of finding Sora… Maybe he was only avoiding him? Not wanting to be found? Riku spun around and kicked the wall, trying to release his anger. Maybe he had hurt Sora more badly than he had thought…

How the heck did he manage to screw up this time? Damn Zexion…

Suddenly Riku heard faint footsteps. He looked around, trying to find the source of the voice, but it echoed in the large hall. He could swear that he heard faint sniffing too…

Finally he was able to locate the direction of the sound of footsteps. He started to walk towards them awkwardly, not sure if he wanted to see who was there. After all, he had just barged into this house without even considering knocking on the door or ringing a doorbell…

He pressed his back on a wall, trying to melt into the shadows, as he saw someone walking slowly towards him.

It took him a while, before he recognized the person, "…S-Sora!"

Sora looked up and tried to focus his eyes on the silver-haired boy, who was approaching him. His vision had started to blur and each of his steps became harder and harder to take. However, when he realized that it was Riku, who was approaching him, he couldn't help but smile. Maybe it was the tears, or the fact that he was getting weaker and weaker that made him lose his sense of reality. But he didn't care, as long as Riku was there. Only few more steps and he would…

Sora had finally reached his limit, and he fell on the floor, on a red carpet that was covering the whole corridor. He was still holding his shoulder, trying in vain to stop the blood flowing from the wound.

Riku ran the last few steps to Sora and kneeled beside him and lifted his slender body so that he could rest his head on his lap.

"Riku…" Sora said, his voice was barely louder than a whisper, "…I… I wanted to see you."

Riku frowned, as he saw Sora's other hand covered with blood. He grabbed his wrist and lifted his arm so he could see the deep stab wound near his collarbone. The silver-haired boy's eyes widened, as he noticed how freely the blood was pouring out of it. Riku didn't know what to say or think. He looked at the boy in his lap, giving him a panicked look, "Who did this to you?"

Sora just shook his head, "It doesn't matter…" he mumbled and tried to lift his hand so that he could touch Riku's face, "…I'm so happy that I could see you…"

"Sora…" Riku whispered, unable to do anything else.

Sora's body started to relax and Riku tied his arms around his shoulders, carefully avoiding the wound. He hugged the boy in his arms and buried his nose into the other one's spiky hair. His shoulders started to tremble and awkward sobs escaped his lips, "Sora, don't you dare—"

"Riku…" Sora cut off Riku's speech, as he weakly nuzzled his nose against the older teen's neck, trying to inhale Riku's personal scent as much as he could, "…I just wanted to say that I… I…"

The silver-haired boy pulled away a little and placed a quick kiss on Sora's lips, before saying, "…I know Sora… I love you too."

Sora blinked his eyes, trying to see Riku's face clearly, but his sight was starting to deceive him badly. However, he smiled and closed his eyes, "…I'm happy."

And that was the last thing Riku heard him say, before his limbs became all relaxed and his breathing started to slow down.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Cloud stomped out of the mansion and glanced around. He spotted easily his target and started to approach Squall, who was leaning his back on the brick fence. The blonde balled his fists, as he thought how cool Squall always tried to act.

"Hey, you total fuckhead moron, what the fuck is your problem?" Cloud spat as if there was no tomorrow. Squall gave him a 'did-you-hit-your-head?'-look, before straightening his back and preparing himself for another attack from Cloud. The said one narrowed his eyes and stopped walking right in front of him, "…After these few lovely hours we have spent together, I've come to realize that you probably have no heart whatsoever, do you?"

Squall rolled his eyes apathetically, "Where's Riku?"

"Don't even try to ignore me you complete asshole."

"Are we leaving now?"

"Could you not to change the subject every damn second?"

Squall sighed and turned around. If he wasn't so afraid of ruining his ego, he would have started laughing at Cloud, who just had enough energy to kept cussing. Every now and then the blonde inhaled a breath, so that he could continue launching insults at him. Insults, that weren't really even offending… In Squall's eyes, Cloud resembled more like a comedian than a bully…

"Why can't you just listen what I have to say?" Cloud cried after a while, letting his arms drop on each side of him and his head bow down weakly.

The brunette man was quiet for a while, before replying, "Because I don't care what you have to say."

Cloud stared at Squall. He just stared, not knowing what else he could have done, "…Y-you…" he started, trying to think of a way to continue his sentence, "…H-how can you be so… so… cruel?"

"If you were me, you would understand." Squall stated hollowly, tilting his head backwards and gazing up at the skies, which slowly had started to fill with stars. It was full moon and it shone more brightly than it had in a while…

"T-that's right… I'm not you." Cloud decided to strike back, "…But I'll never understand you, if you won't tell me about yourself."

Squall let his eyes drop back on the ground. As Cloud had thought, Squall didn't reply to his statement. The blonde sighed and took few steps forward, "…It's okay, I kind of… understand." He said, but as he gained a snort from his companion he added, "…Well, okay, I don't completely understand you… But that's probably why I just can't stop wanting to know."

"Strife…" Squall said simply, looking slightly over his shoulder. Cloud wasn't sure but he thought he saw a small smile forming on the brunette's lips, "…Thanks."

Cloud's jaw dropped. Did Squall just _thank_ him? He was about to ask him if he had heard correctly, but the front door behind them slammed open and both of them spun around on their heels.

Riku was there. But he wasn't alone. Sora was lying lifelessly in his arms, his eyes closed and something red spilling down his arm. Squall and Cloud both just stood there, their eyes wide, as Riku started to run towards them, yelling, "For god's sake, do something! Call a freaking ambulance or something!"

"Oh god…" Cloud stammered, searching through his pockets, but after a while giving Riku a desperate look, "…I… I left my cell phone home…"

Squall walked past the blonde, all the way to Riku. He examined Sora- his little brother- a thoughtful look on his features. For a while, he was completely lost in his thoughts, until he managed to get a grip of himself and focus on the present. He placed two of his fingers on Sora's neck and felt a faint pumping, "...He's alive. Let's go to my place… it's near here and my aunt Yuna will most likely be able to help him."

Without any further questions, the three of them started to run towards the direction Squall led them to.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Yuna sang quietly to herself, while watering roses by a large window. She spun around on her heels and took few dancing steps, towards another flower vase.

"Yunie, where's Gippal?"

Yuna looked over her shoulder and saw a pouting blonde girl standing by a doorway, her arms crossed above her chest. The brunette woman laughed heartily, before shrugging and replying, "I don't know Rikku, I haven't seen him after this morning. Maybe he's out with Baralai or something?"

"Baralai!" The young woman called Rikku shrieked, jumping up and down in anger, "Aaa-aaww! Gippal's always flirting with Baralai! I'm goin' to go find that sneaky bastard!"

Yuna watched as Rikku disappeared behind a corner, loud footsteps carrying up the stairs. Yuna giggled a little, as she started humming a song again and continuing to water the plants in the large living room. She jumped over a vacuum cleaner that had been left lying in the middle of a carpet. She sighed and brushed her brown hair out of her eyes and placed her hands on her hips, "…Okay… now what should I do next… Ah, right, Squallie's room's still messy!"

She kicked the vacuum cleaner behind a sofa, before starting to skip out of the room and towards the stairs. However, before she could even get to upstairs, the doorbell rang. She looked at her wristwatch and frowned. She couldn't recall calling any visitors over… She shrugged and walked back to downstairs and towards the front door.

Yuna opened the door and smiled happily as she saw Squall standing behind it, "Ahh, welcome home Squall. You missed the dinner, but I put some food in the fridge just for you…" she said, while glancing over the brunette's shoulder, "…Ohh, you brought some friends with you, dear? I'm so glad that you've finally made some friends, please come in, come in!"

"Yuna, Sora is—"

Yuna's eyes widened as she heard Sora's name. She watched as Squall and Cloud stepped aside and Riku walked past them, carrying bleeding Sora in his arms. The brown-haired woman gasped and slapped her hand in front of her mouth, "This'… this' horrible!" she said behind her hand. Quickly she turned around and motioned Riku to follow her, "Please, come this way!"

Riku nodded his head and followed Yuna into a small room behind the staircase. The silver-haired boy lifted his eyebrow, as he saw how much the room resembled a doctor's office… He shook his head and thought that it wasn't time to think such things as that. Sora might die if they didn't do something soon…

And only the thought of Sora dying made Riku want to cry. He looked at the petite boy in his arms and bit his lip. Sora looked so weak and pale… Riku didn't know what he would do if he died. Nothing would ever be the same again… thinking about Sora's smile fading forever and his voice disappearing his mind, made the back of Riku's eyes burn. That's why he closed them and inhaled a deep and reassuring breath.

Yuna gave Riku an understanding look, as she placed her hand on the silver-haired boy's shoulder, "Could you place him on that bed please."

"Ah… Yes, ma'am."

Yuna pulled out a white box from underneath the bed, on which Riku placed Sora. The brown-haired woman sat on a chair next to the bed, and turned to look at Riku, "Could you please wait outside, dear?"

"But I…"

"It's okay, I'll try to make it quick." Yuna nodded her head towards the door, "…Go now."

Riku sighed and slumped his shoulders, but headed towards the door nevertheless. Before leaving the room he glanced Sora one last time, "…Don't let him die." He stated as he left. Yuna watched after him and let out a small laugh.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Squall and Cloud were waiting outside of the room and watched as Riku came out, a gloomy look on his face. They all exchanged glances, but the silence remained.

Suddenly loud footsteps carried from the upstairs and Rikku jumped down the stairs. She scanned her surroundings furiously, as if ready to kill everyone who stepped in her way. However, her expression softened immediately when she saw Squall, "Squaaall! Whassup my favorite emo-boy?"

"Rikku, now isn't the time…"

But the blonde didn't listen, just walked towards Squall, until she spotted Cloud and Riku. She squealed and bounced in front of Cloud and pinched both of his cheeks, "Aaww! You're soooo cute!" she giggled, before walking to Riku and eyeing him, "Wooow, and you're handsome! Ohohoh, you must work out pretty much… Squall, who are these fine young lads we have here?"

"Rikku, come with me." Squall said in a dangerous manner, which made Rikku shiver. The scar-faced man grabbed her hand and yanked her towards another room.

Cloud and Riku listened a faint conversation coming from the place Squall and Rikku had disappeared.

"I wonder what happened to Sora…" Cloud stated suddenly, his eyes holding a hollow look, "…I don't… understand why everyone seem to want to harm Sora. He's so… he's just so… I don't know how to put this…"

"I know what you mean." Riku said, "…And that's why I love him."

Cloud blinked his eyes few times, before smiling and chuckling lightly, "How come I'm not surprised?" he poked his tongue out, "…Land and sky… Hmm… I guess you two are really meant for each other, huh?"

"I hope so." Riku nodded his head with a sigh.

The conversation was followed by yet another silence. Cloud stared at the ceiling, his face emotionless. Riku paced back and forth nervously, sighing every now and then and glancing the closed door of Yuna's room. After a while the silver-haired boy pressed his back against a wall and let himself slide on the floor. He was starting to lose his sanity, and would probably end up destroying the whole place if Yuna didn't walk out of that door soon…

Cloud looked at Riku, wanting to say something, but didn't know what would possibly calm him down. So he decided to remain quiet and fixed his eyes back at the ceiling.

Suddenly the front door slammed open and a blonde man with eye patch walked in cockily. He saw the two males in standing nearby Yuna's office's door and frowned, "Who the heck are ya?"

Riku shot him a glare, and didn't even bother to reply. Cloud chuckled awkwardly and scratched the back of his head absently, "Ah… We are… Well… You know… F-friend's of S-Squall…"

"Friends… of Squall?" the man asked, somewhat amused expression on his features, "…Geez, took him long enough. Anyways, if ya see a blonde girl, tell 'er…"

"GIPPAL!"

The blonde man winced, as Rikku ran out of the room, where she and Squall had retreated just a while ago. She glanced the man furiously, before approaching him with large steps, "Gippal, frana dra ramm ryja oui paah? Tuh'd damm sa oui fana dnoehk du cdaym buun Baralai'c jenekehedo ykyeh..."

Riku and Cloud exchanged glares, both of them wearing confused expressions. The silver-haired boy mouthed words 'what the fuck', while Cloud just shrugged and turned to look at Rikku.

"Chill out Rikku." Gippal stretched his arms, before patting Rikku's head, as if she had been a puppy dog, "…About Baralai, I can assure you that he lost his virginity long time ago…" He added with a wink.

"Uggh, you dirty little banjand!" Rikku screamed and slapped Gippal, before spinning around on her heels and glancing at Riku and Cloud. Her anger was immediately replaced by a concerned look, "I heard what happened… But you have no need to worry, 'cause Yuna's a professional. She used to be a doctor, but mostly did all the work here, at home, until just recently she gave up her work and retired. Well, it's not as if she was that old that she needed to retire, but… Well…"

"I see. We're glad that Sora's in hands of a professional." Cloud smiled and patted Riku's shoulder, signalling him to say something too.

"Uh… yeah… We're glad." Riku added, bowing his head down humbly. Cloud ruffled his hair playfully, earning an annoyed growl from Riku, who took few steps away from him.

Cloud rolled his blue eyes, a faint smirk playing on his lips. Then he looked at Rikku again, "Where's Squall, by the way?"

"Oh. He's in the living room." Rikku pointed towards the direction of the living room, "He's being pretty weird at the moment, but if you can cheer him up, I'd be more than happy."

"I doubt that I can, but I can always give it a try…" Cloud said, as he started to approach the living room.

Gippal hawked, and poked Rikku's head, "Erm, so what's up?"

Rikku slumped her shoulders and shook her head. Gippal lifted his eyebrow and said 'oh' quietly. He decided that it might be best if he disappeared from the picture, and he quickly started to climb up the stairs, leaving Rikku and Riku by themselves.

"I… I'll go make some tea!" Rikku said suddenly, grinning cheerfully, "You want some too? I bet it'd be good for you…"

Riku looked at the blonde girl, before shaking his head and drowning back into his thoughts. Rikku frowned sadly, but left anyways.

The silver-haired teen closed his eyes and soon felt something salty on his lips.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A/N: I'm scared… I just got this huge inspiration yesterday… that's probably why I finished this chapter pretty quickly oO I swear it's been a while since I've typed this fast… Phfew, anyways, YAY +200 reviews! I'm sososososo happy! Thank you all who reviewed, you always give me strength to keep on typing this story, even though I should be working on my school project and such :D I love you all and you deserve a cookie :gives everyone cookies:


	14. Time For Thoughts

**My Fatal Reality**

**About the story** – Yea, I don't know why, but somehow I found myself writing a new fiction about Kingdom Hearts. The **pairings** are RikuxSora?xSora, and many more. So if you don't like **shounen-ai**/**yaoi**, please don't read any further. **Bad grammar, angst, Sora- torturing, angst, dark themes, angst** and of course, **boy loving another boy** Oh yeah, and did I mention **angst**? This was first supposed to be DNAngel fic... But… I feel like writing KH stuff ;P

Oh yeah, also mild **Kairi-bashing**.

**Disclaimer** – I do not own Kingdom Hearts.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Chapter 14 – Time For Thoughts

Yuna sighed in relief, as she wrapped a long bandage around Sora's slender shoulders. The brunette was still unconscious, and she decided that it might be better for him to let him be like that for a while, so that he didn't have to deal with the pain. She looked at Sora's arms and at the scars she had noticed earlier. Too many times she had seen same kind of scars, though this time, she had a feeling that there was something much deeper behind this than the wounds dealt by a sharp knife.

She petted Sora's head, a beautiful smile on her lips, "…You look just like your mother." She said to the boy, who couldn't hear her words, "…She'd be really proud of you, if she saw you now. You've grown so much…"

Yuna stood up and stretched her arms that had grown stiff. She packed her equipments back into her white bag, before shoving it under the bed and turning around.

She was positive that behind her door would be someone who was eagerly waiting for a report of Sora's condition…

And she was right. The first thing she saw after exiting her office was Riku, sitting on the floor next to the door and Sora's teddy bear, Luca, was sitting on his lap. He was looking blankly into nothingness, before Yuna kneeled next to him and waved her hand in front of his face. The silver-haired boy jumped slightly, but when he saw Yuna, his expression became anxious, "H-how's Sora?!"

"He'll be just fine." Yuna nodded her head and flashed one of her best smiles to Riku, "I'm sure glad that you were able to bring him here so quickly. If you hadn't… I doubt that he would have survived."

Riku let out a breath he had been holding and placed his hand on top of his chest, feeling his heart racing. He looked beyond relieved after hearing the news, "…Thank god…"

Yuna placed her hand on the boy's shoulder, suddenly her soft expression turning into serious, "But I need to know what happened to him. Who stabbed him, where, when and why." She stated, but the questions were something that Riku couldn't answer. He just slumped his shoulders, before shrugging weakly. Yuna understood what he was gesturing and added, "…It's okay, I didn't expect you to know anything, dear."

Riku bit his bottom lip and hugged Luca slightly, as he started to feel himself useless because he had no clue what had happened to Sora, "…Maybe you should ask Cloud and Squall. They were longer at Sora's place, so they might know something."

"I will." Yuna confirmed, before standing up and stepping aside, so Riku would be able to walk through the door, into the room where Sora was lying unconsciously, "…You can go see him now. He's passed out now, but he'll recover soon enough."

With those words, Yuna disappeared from the view, leaving Riku alone. He stood up slowly and walked into the small room. He winced at the whiteness of the decorations, but when he spotted Sora on the bed, everything else seemed to lose their interest. Riku's vision became oddly blurry, as he approached the bed, his eyes never leaving Sora's pale face. Quickly he blinked and rubbed his eyes, to drive away the newborn tears.

He sat down on a chair next to the bed and placed Luca next to Sora. Riku inhaled a deep breath, as he glanced the brunette from head to toes.

Riku closed his eyes. He had been so close of losing Sora. What if he wouldn't have found Sora in time? Riku didn't even want to think about it… Instead he just reached his hand out and brushed it against the unconscious boy's cheek. His lips curved upwards into a small smile, as he leaned down and slowly pressed his lips against Sora's.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A pale moon was slowly rising from the horizon, as the sun set down, letting it occupy the night sky. Shadows started to grow bigger and thicker around a small backyard patio, where Squall and Cloud sat, admiring the moonrise.

The blonde male sighed and fell on his back, so that he could get a better look at the sphere above them. It was quiet, only sound of grasshoppers disturbed the silence. Cloud smiled a little. Somehow this moment was perfect, even though it was lacking the biggest details to be perfect… He could feel relaxed, even though he was worried sick about Sora and what might happen to him.

"Squall…" Cloud stated suddenly. Squall looked at his newfound friend, giving him a look that showed him that he was listening. At first Cloud was about to ask if Squall thought that Sora would be okay… but then another question popped into his mind, "…What really happened? Between you and Sephiroth?"

Squall 'hmph'-ed, as if he would have been waiting for Cloud to ask that question. It took him a while, before he answered, "To be honest, he really isn't my father."

Cloud gave him a quizzical look, but waited patiently for Squall to continue.

"He's just a stepfather. And it makes Sora my stepbrother too." The brown-haired man said, as he fixed his eyes back at the stars above their heads, "…But that's all you need to know. There's no point in worrying over something that has already happened."

Cloud frown-pouted childishly, "But if you don't worry about a thing, you'll start live recklessly and die young."

"But if you worry too much, you'll end up killing yourself by trying not to be too reckless." Squall shot back with a victorious smirk. He watched as Cloud opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, unable to think of a comeback.

After a while, Cloud just sighed and shook his head, "You're right. Kind of. But you could still tell me more about your father. I mean- stepfather…"

"How come you're so interested all of the sudden?"

"Well…" The blonde blushed slightly and fingered his jumper's zipper, "That's just what friends do. Y'know… worry about each other and tell stuff that they don't dare to tell anyone else…"

Squall inhaled a deep breath, before standing up and turning around, "I didn't know that we suddenly became friends." He chuckled rather coldly, "…For a while it seemed like you were more interested in cussing than befriending."

"Wha… Hey!" Cloud followed Squall's example, and stood up too, "It's not my fault that you never answer to my questions or even try to start talking about things!"

The scar-faced man looked at the other one, giving him a slightly amused look. Then he just started to walk towards a door, that lead back to the house. He knew that he had made Cloud's blood boil once again, since he could hear angry mumbling behind his back.

"You are… the world's biggest idiot!" Cloud screamed on top of his lungs, as he watched Squall to disappear back into the house. He narrowed his eyes and folded his arms above his chest, before sitting back down on the wooden terrace.

He started to hate Squall more and more. That anti-social idiotic bastard, who never thought of anyone else but himself… Cloud wondered how come he managed to stay so calm, even though he shot insults after insults at him. Maybe Squall was immune to things like that? Maybe he was half deaf? The blonde rolled his eyes, and lied down, so that he could watch the stars again, without his neck starting to hurt.

It took him a while to regain his composure. Squall surely knew how to make him mad… but then again, when Cloud thought about it, he didn't find Squall's company too bad. He had been with worse people than him. And something in the brown-haired man made him want to study him more. He was fascinating in a mysterious way. There was something that Cloud couldn't completely understand, or describe with words.

Cloud closed his eyes and let a smile take over his features.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

As Squall walked into the kitchen, Yuna's eyes immediately locked at him, "Squall, dear?"

The brunette looked at his aunt, giving him a quizzical look. Yuna, who had been sitting by a round kitchen table, stood up and walked towards him, "…I need to speak with you. Alone."

Rikku's interest was caught right away, and she nearly topped a frying pan that she had been carrying. Yuna gave her a strict look, gesturing her to just continue her cooking and stop being nosey. The blonde girl pouted, but returned in front of the stove anyways.

Yuna pulled Squall out of the kitchen, into a small corridor that separated the other rooms from the dining room, "…About Sora… It was Sephiroth, wasn't it?"

"Most likely." He replied, "…Who else could have it been?"

The brown-haired woman nodded her head, a worried look taking over her features, "…But I don't understand… Why'd he do that to Sora?" she asked quietly, not really expecting an answer, "…I thought that Sora would be able to live with him without any problems…"

"Sephiroth's lunatic enough to kill anyone who he sees."

"But…" Yuna said weakly, uneasily glancing the floor. Suddenly she lifted her gaze and was now looking directly into Squall's greyish orbs, "…Things are just getting worse. First Rinoa's disappearance and now this… I wonder how far Sephiroth is ready to, until he's satisfied… And I surely hope that Rinoa's case has nothing to do with Sephiroth…"

Squall frowned, as he remembered how the silver-haired man had molested Cloud. How he had touched the blonde's private areas and pushing him against a wall. Only the thought made Squall feel like throwing up. He guessed that his disgust was rather visible, because Yuna gave him a concerned glance.

"…Is that everything that happened there?" Yuna asked, folding her arms lazily over her chest.

Squall wondered how the hell Yuna was able to read his mind like an open book… Maybe he had spent too much time with her, "…Yes… no… Well, it's nothing important."

"I see… I'd like to believe you, but the look in your eyes told me otherwise." The brown-haired woman said with a frown, "…And –let me guess- it has got something to do with that blonde boy you brought here?"

"Yuna." Squall stated coldly, "…Don't get involved in this, okay?"

Yuna burst out into half-hearted laughter, before shaking her head, "I am sorry to tell you, but I am already involved. That silver-haired freak killed my sister and now he was about to kill your brother. So don't even bother to tell me to stay out of this."

Squall grunted angrily, before turning around and heading back towards the kitchen.

"Aww, you're so cute when you are being so protective Squall." Yuna teased the brunette male playfully, "…It always makes me feel so special."

The only reply Yuna got from Squall was a loud snort.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

It was half an hour later that Cloud decided to go back inside, as it started to get awfully cold. After glancing the moon, which was now positioned in the middle of the sky, he walked through a door into the warm living room. He heard faint chatting coming from his left, and decided to follow the direction of the noise.

He stepped into a kitchen, where Squall, Yuna, Gippal and Rikku were sitting by a table, drinking tea. They all turned to look at Cloud, as he stood by the doorway, not sure whether he should turn around and walk back or not.

"Cloudie!" Rikku smiled and jumped to her feet, quickly dashing towards a shelf and pulling out a tea mug, "You want some tea too?"

"Sure…" Cloud nodded his head and awkwardly sat next to Squall, who was completely ignoring him once again. The blonde sighed, but didn't think that trying to discuss with Squall would make things any better…

"Cloud, are you alright?" Yuna asked, "You look a little pale…"

Cloud blinked his eyes and looked at the brown-haired woman, "Uhh, I guess I'm okay…"

"Aww, Yunie, you need to stop worrying too much." Rikku said happily, while pouring tea into Cloud's mug and offering it to him, "It's no wonder if he was a little bit pale. I'd be pale too if I had just visited Sephiroth's house!"

"Rikku, I don't think it's wise to talk so lightly about that kind of things." Gippal stated oddly seriously.

The blonde girl looked at him with a strange look, "…You? Thinking? Puhlease..."

"Shaddap."

"Make me!"

Gippal stood up and leaped towards the girl, talking her on the floor. Rikku narrowed her eyes, as her back hit the floor painfully. She bit the hand that was right next to her head causing the blonde man to curse and try to pull his hand free. When he was free again, he grabbed Rikku's shirt's collar and started to shake her furiously.

"Frydajan ryja E tuha un cyet du oui?!" Gippal nearly shouted.

Rikku kicked Gippal's stomach and caused him to loosen his grip around her neck. She shoved the man on top of him and swapping their position that she was now sitting on top of his stomach, "Oui yna paehk ymeja dryd'c dra bnupmas rana! E vaam cunno vun ouin sus vun ryjehk cilr y eteudel lremt!"

Cloud stared at the two fighting on the floor, before turning to look at Yuna and Squall, who continued to drink their teas, as if nothing had ever happened. The blonde leaned towards Squall and whispered his question, "…Uhh… what exactly are they saying?"

"That's Al Bhed what they're speaking." Squall replied calmly, not even looking at Rikku and Gippal who were yelling at each other on the floor, "…Don't worry about them, they do that everyday."

"O-oh…" Cloud blinked his eyes, before sipping his tea and trying his best to ignore the fight. But he couldn't help but look as Gippal tugged Rikku's hair, while the blonde girl gave a painful looking kick right between his legs. Cloud winced and decided that it might be better to turn his attention on his tea mug. Speaking of which, it was white and had blue hearts in it…

"Cloud… you seem rather troubled?" Yuna stated.

"Uhh… I just…" Cloud scratched the back of his head, "…It's nothing really. I'm just feeling slightly confused after all that's happened today."

Yuna nodded her head, understanding how Cloud was feeling at the moment. She leaned her head on her palms, while examining her empty teacup, "…I guess we should call a police or something… but maybe it's better if we let you guys rest first…"

"Are you sure that polices are needed?" Squall frowned.

"Yes." The brown-haired woman answered with a deep sigh, "This has gone far enough. We can't let Sephiroth run around killing everyone."

"But what about Aerith?"

Yuna stared at Squall, whose expression remained emotionless. After a while she closed her eyes and shook her head weakly. "I'm sorry Squall, but I can't always just think what she would have wanted to do." She said sadly, before opening her eyes and looking at the brunette man again, "I wish I could respect her wishes, but this time I can't. After what happened to Sora… I think she would agree with me."

Squall gritted his teeth and balled his fists on his lap. Cloud saw this and reached his hand out, but before he could touch the man next to him, he quickly pulled back when he decided that it might not be a good idea to interfere this conversation.

"All you ever think of is Sora." Squall stated suddenly, as he stood up, causing the chair behind him collapse on the floor. Rikku and Gippal stopped fighting, now glancing at Squall, who narrowed his eyes at his aunt, "…It's all about Sora. Sora, who always had everything he wanted. Sora, who was a perfect son, a perfect student and perfect at everything. Sora, who was so damn isolated and misunderstood. Sora, who everyone loves, yet he still pretends to be a martyr and just seek for more pity."

"Squall, what on earth are you saying?" Yuna snapped angrily, but her voices seemed to have no effect on Squall anymore.

"Why are you all so damn worried about him?" The scar-faced male hissed, "…He didn't have to run away from home. He didn't have to change his name, because he was afraid that his father might come and kill him. He didn't have to live his life in _fear_ that you might not wake up tomorrow. He could have been just like everyone else, but look at him—he has completely ruined it all, just by thinking that no one likes him and he's an isolated freak."

Yuna stood up and slammed her both hands on the table. She shot angry glares at Squall, before saying, "I never thought that you would be that childish Leon."

"My name… is not Leon."

Cloud watched the conversation. He wanted to say something, but he didn't know what he could have said. He slumped his shoulders, as he realized that the only thing he could do was watch the exchanging of angry glares.

"You are just being selfish." Yuna added eventually, a sad smile coming to her features, "…But you forgot something. Something important and vital that you had and Sora didn't."

Squall lifted his eyebrow quizzically.

"You always had friends around you, unlike Sora, who had no one." Yuna explained, her voice quiet and depressed, "…You've always had people who love you all around you. After Aerith disappeared, or more likely, died, he had had no one. No one asks for loneliness…"

Squall glanced Yuna for a while, before stomping out of the room grumpily.

Cloud blinked his eyes, trying to collect his thoughts and make a proper analyze of what had just happened. And if he had understood Squall's words right, the only problem was that he was his jealousy because Sora had had everything that he hadn't. Sounded pretty much like a normal brother-envy thing, but when you added Sephiroth into the picture, nothing seemed too normal anymore…

"I'm sorry about all that Cloud." Yuna apologized, "…It's been like that ever since Rinoa disappeared… It's like Squall would have gone crazy or something…"

Cloud nodded his head, "I understand. But what exactly is the relationship between Rinoa and Squall? Are they lovers or something? I mean- Squall did deny it, but who knows…"

Yuna gave an amused look to the blonde boy, before giggling a little, "Oh, no. It's nothing like that." She waved her hand in front of her face, while smiling widely, "Rinoa lives here with us too. And since I used to be a home doctor and all, I never really had time to look after Squall… But Rinoa, she always took care of him, as if he was her own son. They grew really close… and eventually Squall started to think Rinoa as his mother."

Cloud felt beyond stupid now because he had thought that Squall and Rinoa could actually be dating. And now that he thought about it, Rinoa did seem older than Squall…

"When Rinoa became the principle of the school near here, Squall always followed her there, even though he has always been home schooled." Yuna continued explaining and now even Rikku and Gippal had returned by the table and they both were listening closely to the story, "…The school became like another home to him. He never made friends, but sometimes he told me how he could just sit there all day long and study people. He said that they probably didn't understand it, but they were all completely oblivious about the life around them and they all were too tangled into strict details, following every order they were given."

Cloud lifted his eyebrow. He had never thought that Squall could actually think about the other people's feelings… It always seemed that the only thing he cared about was himself and there wasn't room for no one else, but he guessed that he had been wrong.

Yuna laughed, lost in her own nostalgic thoughts, before she snapped back to reality and continued, "At first I didn't understand what he meant. But then he said that 'Love doesn't follow any laws'."

"Ohh…" Rikku sighed dramatically, "…I never thought that Squall would think about such things as love… Maybe… just maybe even he has a small romanticist inside of him…"

"There're other kinds of love than just love that two lovers feel for each other idiot." Gippal snorted and slapped the back of Rikku's head.

Cloud's heart skipped a beat as he thought of the things he had just heard. The way Squall had been so right was rather scary. Could that anti-socialized bastard actually ever say something like that to someone? But then again… Yuna was much closer to Squall than he had ever been. Actually, he had known Squall for less than a day anyways…

"And lately…" Yuna started talking again, "…He has been talking a lot about someone… he never tells her or his name, but I'm sure that something's going on. He tells me how this person never notices him, but he doesn't really care… it's hard to explain…"

Rikku squealed and did a victory dance in the middle of the kitchen's floor, "Ohh, I think our little Squallie has fallen in loovee!"

"Ah, please Rikku, don't tell him that I told any of this to you…" Yuna added quickly and nervously laughing, as she realized her mistake.

"So cute, so cute, so cute." Rikku sang, as she pulled out another teacup from a high shelf. She spun around on her heels and looked at Yuna, "I'll think I should go and give Riku some tea too."

Yuna nodded her head, happy that she seemed to forget the subject 'Squall in love'.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Riku fingered Sora's spiky hair. He didn't know how long he had sat there, nor did he care. All he cared about right now was the brunette boy lying in front of him, breathing steadily.

He sighed as he eventually untangled his hand from Sora's hair. He couldn't do anything but admire the boy's beauty. Or more like cuteness. Riku could have called him sexy too, but the innocence that was radiating from Sora was far away from something like that. He was as angelic as a human could be, but at the same time, he was so fragile that it made Riku sometimes feel uneasy. One wrong word could completely crush the younger boy…

Riku chuckled at his thoughts. He was feeling oddly light-headed…

Suddenly the hand under Riku's twitched. The silver-haired boy looked at Sora, who groaned quietly and pressed his eyelids together.

"Good morning Sora…"

Sora opened his eyes slowly, but closed them quickly, as the bright lights blinded his sensitive eyes. It took him a while to adjust his sight again and when he was able to see clearly again, he looked at Riku, who was sitting on a chair next to him, "…Where… where am I?"

"At Squall's place." Riku gently petted Sora's forehead, "You're okay now. But I guess you should try avoid moving too much."

Sora gave him a quizzical look, but his question was answered, when he looked at his shoulder. Suddenly he remembered his father and how he had stabbed the knife into his shoulder. And now that he really thought about it, he realized how stupid he had been. Thinking that his life could as well be thrown away. How selfish he had been, when he had thought that death meant freedom for him…

But when he looked at Riku, he understood what he would have missed, if he had died back there. There are some things in the life that you never understand, before it's too late. Sora guessed that he was lucky, because he had been given a second chance to live. And now that he realized what it meant to live, maybe he would be able to finally enjoy the life. And if he couldn't enjoy it, he could always live for Riku.

"Sora?" Riku asked with a slightly amused tone, as he watched Sora's lips curve up into a wide smile. But when a tear rolled down from the corner of brunette's beautiful blue eye, his expression became serious again, "…Sora? What's wrong Sora? Why are you crying?"

Sora tried to sit up, but the pain on his shoulder yanked him back down. He chuckled sadly and wiped away the tears with his other arm, that wasn't hurting because of the stab wound, "I'm sorry Riku… I don't know what's gotten into me…"

"S'okay…" Riku smiled and placed his hand on top of Sora's, giving him a slight squeeze, "…I'm just… so glad that you're alive. I don't know what I would have done if you had died…"

Sora closed his eyes. He didn't know what he should say next. But then again, this moment didn't seem to need any words. The silence was comforting and it embraced the both boys, helping them to relax. Riku stared at Sora and this time, he wasn't even trying to hide it. He just stared at him, eating him with his eyes. Sora was something that he could never get full of, yet Riku was positive that it would take a lot of time to get bored of him.

No, Riku still didn't believe in love stories that had a happy ending. Even if Sora fit perfectly in his arms and made his heart melt, he still didn't want to believe that the happiness would be everlasting.

"Riku…" Sora stated suddenly and opened his eyes, but instead of looking towards Riku's direction, he glanced up at the ceiling, "…Do you think that… we could be like this forever?"

The silver-haired teen sighed. It was ironic that Sora would ask that question right now, "…There's no such thing as eternity. So, my answer is no."

A small pout came to Sora's features and it made Riku chuckle lightly.

"…But I hope that we'll be together as long as possible."

Sora looked at Riku and the familiar smile returned to his features, "…Riku…"

But Riku just hushed him and started to lean in slowly. Sora gulped and closed his eyes once again. He could feel Riku's breath on his lips and his hair falling down on his face and tickling his cheeks. There was only a small gap parting their lips now. Only a small movement forward and their lips would meet…

"AAAWW!"

Riku pulled away violently and glanced at Rikku, who was standing by the doorway, holding a large cup in her hands. She pointed at Riku and Sora and bounced up and down, nearly losing her grip around the mug, "Oh my god, Yunie!! Come here, I can't believe! They nearly kissed!!! Can you imagine that!!"

Sora's cheeks became oddly pinkish, as he tried to hide his face from Riku and the blonde girl. Riku rubbed his temples and groaned annoyedly.

Not too long after, Yuna came next to Rikku and glanced inside of the room. She lifted her eyebrow, as she couldn't see anyone kissing, "Who's kissing who?"

"Oh my god, Yunie, I swear, it was so close that they would have kissed!!" Rikku screamed in joy, "Do it again, do it again!"

"Rikku, calm down…" Yuna patted her friend's shoulder, before pushing her gently away from the room. She gave Riku an apologetic glance, as she disappeared with Rikku.

Riku sighed and shook his head, while Sora just hoped that he could blend with the bed…

"Fucking fangirls…"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A/N: Don't worry if you don't understand the parts that are in Al Bhed—it's something you don't even need to understand. We all can be just as confused as Cloud :D

Thank you all the reviewers. You're as awesome as always, and you know it.


	15. Close Your Eyes

**My Fatal Reality**

**About the story** – Yea, I don't know why, but somehow I found myself writing a new fiction about Kingdom Hearts. The **pairings** are RikuxSora?xSora, and many more. So if you don't like **shounen-ai**/**yaoi**, please don't read any further. **Bad grammar, angst, Sora- torturing, angst, dark themes, angst** and of course, **boy loving another boy** Oh yeah, and did I mention **angst**? This was first supposed to be DNAngel fic... But… I feel like writing KH stuff ;P

Oh yeah, also mild **Kairi-bashing**.

**Disclaimer** – I do not own Kingdom Hearts.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Chapter 15 – Close Your Eyes

Cloud glanced at a small clock on one of the shelves in living room. He shifted nervously, as he could feel Yuna's gaze at him.

"Are you sure something isn't wrong?" Yuna asked for the millionth time in a short while, folding her arms above her chest, "…You've been looking nervous and acting awkward for a good while now."

Cloud sighed and bowed his head, "…Well… it's just… it's getting pretty late so I guess… I guess I should head back home."

Rikku looked at Yuna, before shaking her head furiously and nudging playfully the blonde male's shoulder, "Aww, sorry Cloudie, that's something you can't do." She stated half seriously and half playfully, so that it made Cloud hard to understand whether her statement was a joke or an order.

"Huh?" He blinked his eyes and looked at Yuna, who was seated on a comfortable looking armchair.

"Rikku's right…" Yuna nodded her head in agreement, "…It'd be dangerous for you to wander around all alone. For the next few days, at least, you should always have someone with you when you go out. Someone like Squall or Gippal, who'd be able to protect you."

Cloud rolled his blue eyes and leaned his back on the couch, "Oh c'mon, it's not like I'd need a bodyguard just because of Sephiroth. That's ridiculous."

Yuna and Rikku exchanged sad glances and Cloud immediately understood that the situation was a lot worse than he had thought. Yet, he still didn't know what Sephiroth was capable of, but maybe that was something he didn't even want to find out. The way everyone in this house talked about him… they made him sound like a monster, to be honest.

"Cloud, we really think that you should stay here for few days." Yuna frowned, "…And since tomorrow's Friday, you could stay over the weekend. And, hopefully, by Monday things have calmed down a little."

The blonde boy bit his lip, before nodding his head slowly. Resisting did seem like a rude option, but then again… his aunt was most likely going to kill him when he did go back home… "…Uhh… I-I guess I should c-call my aunt and tell her that I'll be here…"

"Ah, of course. No need to make your aunt worry." Yuna agreed, as she stood up and motioned Cloud to follow her. The blonde did as told, and walked out of the living room with Yuna, into the kitchen. The brunette woman pointed a small telephone with her finger, before turning around, "I'll be waiting at the living room."

Cloud waited for Yuna to leave the room, before he dared to pick up the telephone. He gulped, as he started to dial familiar numbers and then he could just wait for his aunt to pick up.

…And soon she did, "_Hello?_"

"H-hey Tifa…" Cloud mumbled quietly, trying to keep his voice as calm as possible, "…I… I'm going to stay over at my friend's place tonight and this weekend, is that okay?"

An unbreakable silence followed his sentence. Cloud bit his lip and closed his eyes, waiting for a reply from his aunt.

"…_Your friend? Why'd you want to stay with your friend the whole weekend? No wait—I understand! Aww, Cloudie, you've finally grown into a fine lad and found yourself a girlfriend, haven't you?_"

Cloud slapped his forehead, "No, it's nothing like that. It's just that—"

"_Aww, I understand if you don't want to tell me Cloudie. But just remember what I told you when you have sex that you must take care of—"_

"Tifa!!" Cloud cried out loud and blushed a little, "I told you already, I'm at my friend's place!!"

"_Yes yes, girlfriend, I got it already. But you still can't stay there over the weekend. Come home tomorrow, or else I'll come myself and get you._" Tifa said strictly and caused Cloud to wince visibly, "_…Unless you come and show me your girlfriend tomorrow. I want to see who my little baby is dating… Ohh… How long I've waited for this day…_"

Cloud sighed in defeat, "Okay fine, I shall bring her there tomorrow." But after saying that he mentally slapped himself. Who the heck would he bring home, since he had no girlfriend? Maybe he could dress Squall up as a girl and tell Tifa that he was his girlfriend… As a mental image of Squall as a girl popped into Cloud's mind, chills ran violently down his spine.

"_Hehehe, okay, I'll see you tomorrow dear."_

And after that Tifa hung up. Cloud just stood there, holding telephone in his hand dumbly, while staring into distance.

He was in trouble. Big trouble.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Riku and Sora were sitting on the terrace, where Cloud and Squall had been earlier. The younger one was leaning against the silver-haired boy's chest, as he sat in between his legs and looked up at the night sky. It was calm and only the lights coming from the inside of the house illuminated the darkness. Of course the moon shone palely too, but it didn't seem to have too much power this night.

Riku pulled Sora closer to him, carefully avoiding the wound on his shoulder.

"Rikuu…" Sora giggled, as he playfully nuzzled his nose on the other one's chest, "Let's talk about something, it's awfully quiet here…"

"Mmhmm, okay, whatcha wanna talk about?"

Sora sighed and closed his eyes when he felt Riku run his hand through his spiky locks, "…I dunno… just something."

"Okay…" Riku placed his chin on top of Sora's head and thought for a while, before saying, "…Hmm… How many babies we are gonna have?"

"Huh?" The brunette let out a surprised sound and a small blush spread on his cheeks, "We can't have babies, Riku… We're both boys…"

"Ahh, damn you're right." Riku admitted, while letting his down slip down on Sora's waist. A moment of silence surrounded them, until the older one spoke again, "…Well, then I guess we just need to adopt the babies. So how many babies do you want?"

Sora laughed. This time his laughter wasn't faked… well, it never was when he was with Riku. The silver-haired boy always could make him smile and laugh without hesitation. When Riku was around, Sora felt like he could be himself.

"It wasn't that funny, was it?" Riku chuckled, but couldn't help but smile at Sora's contagious laughter.

"No, it wasn't." Sora smiled widely, as he was able to hold his laughs. He pulled away a little and looked straight into Riku's eyes. He inhaled a deep and excited breath, as he felt himself getting lost in the depths of the seagreen orbs, "…I'm just… so happy."

Riku grinned and pulled Sora back against his chest. The smaller boy sighed happily and just listened to the peaceful sound of Riku's heart beating.

It was perfect. Everything felt like it was going to be alright. Sora wanted to stay like this forever… surrounded by people who cared of him. For the first time in his life, Sora felt like he was alive and his existence was finally being noticed by the others around him. He was no longer a shadow in a corner, but he was allowed to step out of his prison of emptiness. His life had finally gained a light, which he hoped that would never fade.

"I guess we should head back inside." Riku said suddenly, "Yuna told us not to stay out too long."

Sora nodded in response and stood up hesitantly so that the other one could also get up to his feet. Riku gave him a charming grin, flashing his pearl white teeth, before turning around and walking towards a door, which was left open.

The brown-haired boy smiled, as he started to follow the boy, who he thought that he could call his boyfriend.

Suddenly he froze. He tried to breath, but his lungs didn't seem to want to inhale any more oxygen. Every part of his body stopped complying his order and a weight landed on his shoulders. Riku, who had been right in front of him just a while ago, had faded away. Everything became much darker, and the lights inside of the house flickered off.

Sora tried to pronounce Riku's name, but his throat was drier than ever. He glanced around, seeing nothing but darkness that slowly crept towards him, licking his feet and trying to reach up to his face.

Somehow, he managed to pull away from the web of darkness and stumbled towards the door, which was still open. He entered the living room, which was completely empty. Sora's heart started to beat harder, as he stood there and scanned his surroundings. Where could have everyone gone? Why it had become so dark all of the sudden?

Sora rubbed his arms. The air was getting awfully cold and each of the breaths he released created vapors.

With awkward steps, he tried to walk towards the kitchen, hoping to find Riku, Cloud and Yuna sitting by the table. But when he reached his destination, he found it empty too. Shadows lurked in the corners and the cold bluish color of the darkness illuminated the room. Sora backed away from the room, chills running down his spine.

Everything seemed so unreal, yet terribly close to the reality he was used to. The emptiness and the biting feeling of loneliness followed him like his shadow. No matter where he looked, the only thing he could see was emptiness. But for some reason, he felt something even bigger lurking in the shadowy corners… Something sad and painful that he had forgotten a long time ago. Something that was ready to come out of the closet now and reveal itself.

Sora walked towards a stairway. He looked at them for a while, before starting to climb them up. He didn't know where he was heading for, but something deep inside of him told him to move forward.

As he reached the upper floor, he stopped walking completely. There was something in the end of a long corridor. Or more like _someone_. Sora shivered, but felt slightly relieved that he wasn't completely alone anymore. No matter who it was, he or she would probably know what was going on.

"E-excuse me?" Sora asked as politely as he could, while slowly approaching the person, "Who are you?"

But there was no reply. And after few paces, Sora stopped walking. Or more like, something stopped him from walking. He looked down and saw thick layers of black liquid-like substance around his ankles, preventing him from moving any further. He tried to fight himself free, but he was firmly tied on the floor.

At this point, he started to panic. He tried to pull his feet away from the blackness, he yanked, he stretched and he fought, but nothing helped. He glanced helplessly at the person, who was still few feet away from him. He opened his mouth to ask for help, but closed it, as the person slowly started to walk towards him, revealing itself from the shadows.

Sora's mouth formed into a horrified scream that never crossed his lips. He closed his eyes, so that he wouldn't have to look at the person, who was walking towards him. The person, who Sora assumed was she, didn't even have a proper face. The place where her eyes, nose and mouth were supposed to be located was completely devastated. Her long blonde hair was partly covering her faceless head, but it didn't cover the blood that was dripping down her neck and her long silky dress.

"C'mere baby, mommy won't hurt you." The walking corpse slurred, though Sora didn't know how it was possible without a mouth.

Sora started to fight against the things around his ankles again, this time, somehow managing to tear himself free and start to run towards the door that was closest to him. He opened it and stumbled inside, slamming it close behind his back. He tried to catch his breath and recall his composure.

But soon the door opened again and Sora jumped away from it. But unlike he had thought no one came inside. He sighed in relief and placed his hand on top of his chest, hoping that his heart wouldn't jump out of its place.

"Why are you here?"

Sora was beyond startled, as he spun around violently and glanced around the room, trying to search for the source of the voice. He frowned, as he saw Squall standing there, leaning his back against a wall.

"It'd l-like to a-as-ask the same…"

But the scar-faced man just snorted and closed his eyes, "…I am here because this' my room." He stated coldly.

"I didn't mean that…" Sora over his shoulder, relieved to see that they were alone in this room. Only he and Squall, not any disturbing looking walking-dead, "…But why are you _here_? And where is everyone else?"

"I don't understand what you are trying to say Sora." Squall grunted, as he opened his eyes and straightened his back. He started to walk towards the younger boy, "Everyone seems to be standing right behind you. So you can drop that act and stop playing around, no one here seems to be even the slightest bit amused."

Sora turned around, but still he couldn't see anything. Only emptiness and darkness.

Squall walked next to him and placed his hand on his shoulder. He leaned downer, so he was on Sora's ear level and whispered, "…If you can't see, just close your eyes to open them."

"…Huh?" Sora looked at the brunette male, who nodded his head. He didn't completely understand what Squall was trying to say, but closed his eyes anyways. He shut them tight, before opening them again, but nothing happened, "…It's n-not working."

"You're not trying hard enough! You're not wanting to see what's beyond this reality." Squall said strictly and his voice was slightly louder than before, as gripping harder on Sora's shoulder, "Try again!"

Sora's eyes widened at Squall's outburst, but obeyed him anyways. He closed his blue eyes once again, this time concentrating only one thing.

Riku.

Sora gritted his teeth and balled his fists. His fingernails dug into his palms so hard that blood started to drip down slowly from them. But Sora was too busy on forming a mental image of Riku to even notice the pain in his hands. His head started to spin and suddenly the coldness he had felt all the time vanished. But he still didn't dare to open his eyes—what if this was merely a trick that his mind was playing with him? What if when he opened his eyes again, there would still be only a room filled with darkness around him?

"Sora?"

Sora unclenched his fists, as he heard a familiar voice calling his name. Slowly he opened his eyes and saw a very worried looking Riku in front of him, behind him was Yuna, Rikku, Gippal and Cloud. All of them staring at him.

"…Riku?" Sora said weakly and took a step forward, only to fall unconsciously into the arms of the silver-haired boy.

Riku held Sora's relaxing body against his, while trying not to lose his balance. He looked over his shoulder at Yuna, who shook her head, "…I guess he just passed out. We'd better take him to downstairs so he could rest…"

Riku nodded his head and grabbed the back of Sora's knees, while sliding his arm around his shoulders and started to carry him in bridal-style out of the room. Neither one of them said anything, as they followed Riku to downstairs and into Yuna's office, where the silver-haired boy placed the pale brunette on the bed and tugged him in.

"W-what on e-earth was that?" Rikku asked, as they walked out of the room and Riku closed the door behind them.

"I have no clue…" Yuna admitted, her voice shaking and unsure, "…I've never seen anything like that."

The shocked group made their way to the living room and seated on the sofas. Only one who didn't seem to be shaken was Squall, who just sighed deeply. Everyone turned to look at him, as if waiting for him to explain the situation, but he remained quiet.

"It was…" Riku started, but suddenly not feeling so sure how he should continue, "…It was as if he… would have been walking while sleeping. He just… suddenly became like that. His eyes turned lifeless, and even when I tried to call his name… nothing happened."

Gippal ran his hand through his blonde hair, "But he was still able to see Squall, yah?"

Cloud looked at Squall, who was sitting next to him, "…Squall?" he asked, but still the scar-faced man didn't say anything. He just stared straight into nothingness in front of him. Cloud gave him a small smile, as he realized how completely shocked Squall was, even though he was able to mask it almost perfectly. Too bad it was only almost.

"And the things he said…" Yuna said, mostly to herself, "…He saw something—someone, upstairs. He asked 'who are you?', though we couldn't see anything… And that horrified look… the someone he saw, must have been something terrifying…"

Rikku hugged her knees and shook visibly, "What the hell is goin' on here? Is this house some kinda ghost house like in those Hollywood movies? Are we all gonna die here now?!"

"No, you idiot!" Gippal shouted and slapped the back of the blonde girl's head, "We aren't talkin' 'bout us right now. And besides, you've been livin' here for few years now and yer still not dead."

Rikku sighed in relief and seemed to calm down instantly.

"…Who could've that someone be?" Cloud asked, removing his eyes from the brown-haired man next to him and turned to look at the floor instead, "…I can't imagine anything that would make someone look that terrified…"

"Maybe it was something beyond our imagination then." Riku stated. He tried to act as calm as possible, but everyone could see how worried about Sora he was. In fact, everyone in the room was, but Riku was probably the most.

Yuna sighed and shook her head weakly, "…We can only wait till Sora wakes up and tells us everything…"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Roxas rolled on his stomach and buried his head in his comfy pillows. It was soon midnight, but he just couldn't sleep. He tried to close his eyes and wait for a peaceful slumber to take over him, but nothing happened.

Maybe it was because he couldn't stop thinking. He thought about Hayner and Axel. And he wasn't too sure why he was thinking about Hayner… Probably because he was such an ass? Yeah… that had to be it. He still didn't understand how come Hayner had picked him to be his victim of eternal humiliation? That just wasn't fair…

He groaned against his white pillows, before straightening his back and sitting up.

Maybe he could go to Axel's place and see if he was still up? But then again, Axel barely ever slept… Everytime when Roxas was sleeping over at his place, he was always the first one to fall asleep. And when he woke up, Axel was always fully awake and dressed up. That's why Roxas wondered whether the redhead never even slept…

A small stone that hit Roxas' window startled him from his thoughts. He jumped to his feet and slowly walked towards his window. He shoved the curtains aside as he opened the window and poked his head outside. He winced as he saw who was standing right under it, "Hayner?!"

The blonde boy grinned and placed his hands on his hips.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Roxas asked loudly, but not too loud to wake his parents up, "And how did you know where I live?!"

"Heh, easy, I followed you home today." Hayner shrugged with a large grin. Then he just stared at Roxas, before continuing, "…I was just wonderin' if you wanted to come out and hang with me and some of my friends."

Roxas lifted his eyebrow, wondering since when Hayner had ever wanted to spend any time with him. Then he looked over his shoulder at his bed and decided that he wasn't especially sleepy either. So it couldn't hurt to go out with Hayner, right? He sighed and rolled his eyes, "…Fine."

"Awesome." Hayner smirked and watched as Roxas disappeared back into his room. After a short while the blonde returned, fully dressed up and ready to go. He started to climb down clumsily, trying to get a good hold of the bricks of the wall.

Eventually Roxas' feet hit the ground. No matter how many times he had already sneaked out of his house through the window, he still felt it fairly difficult climb up and down… He really should consider buying ladder or something… Roxas sighed and looked at Hayner, who was glancing at him funnily.

"What?"

"No-othing." Hayner grinned and patted Roxas' shoulder, "Let's go."

They walked in silence to an unknown direction. Roxas glanced Hayner every now and then, wondering what was wrong with him. Had he hit his head or something, because he was being awfully friendly right now…

"It's full moon tonight." Hayner nodded his head towards the sky with a smile, "…That's probably why you couldn't sleep."

"How'd… hey wait… How did you know that I couldn't sleep?" Roxas asked quizzically.

"Simple." Hayner chuckled and looked at the other blonde teen, "You wouldn't have come by that window that fast if you were fast asleep. See—even I have brains."

Roxas snorted, "Yeah right. But what has a full moon got to do with it?"

"I don't know." Hayner admitted honestly with a small smile. He eyed Roxas for a while before continuing, "It just does. I guess there's some really clever explanation for it, but hell if I know."

The shorter blonde laughed, before he could stop himself. He had never thought that it could be any fun with Hayner around. But he guessed he was wrong, since he _was_ having somewhat fun right now. Even the silence that surrounded them every now and then didn't seem awkward.

They started to walk up a small hill, until they reached the top and Hayner sat down on the small grassy area. He motioned Roxas to sit down next to him and so he did, a little bit hesitantly though. Roxas looked around and frowned, "…Where are your friends?"

"They should be here soon." Hayner replied, as he let his eyes wander around.

Even though the hill wasn't too high, there was a perfect view of the sleeping town. Roxas could see his house clearly from there, as well as their school. He blinked his eyes, as he spotted an area of expensive looking houses on the other side of the town. He had never known that there was such place as that… "…Who lives there?"

Hayner looked at the expensive looking mansions and shrugged, "Dunno. Prob'ly the mayor and some other rich bastards."

"Oh." Roxas said, before lying on his stomach, "…I wish I lived there. It'd be so cool to have an own pool right on your backyard. You could go swimming everytime you wanted… or a huge tennis field and…"

"Whoa there." Hayner laughed, as he lied down next to Roxas and smirked, "…It'd be cool alright, but same time it'd be kinda boring… The rich kids can never do anything fun, y'know?"

Roxas looked at the boy beside him and lifted his eyebrow. Then he sighed and nodded his head, "You're maybe right."

"'Course I'm right!" Hayner stated arrogantly, giving a playful slap on Roxas' back. The said one narrowed his eyes at him, but Hayner just laughed. Soon Roxas joined the laughter, even though neither one of them had said anything really funny. The atmosphere just seemed to be right for it…

After a while of good laughter, Roxas wiped tears from the corners of his eyes. He fixed his gaze back at the mansions and sighed dreamily, "…I'd like to go there someday…"

"Hey, we could!" Hayner sat up and looked at Roxas, who gave him an amused look, "Really!"

"…No, Hayner…"

"Aww, c'mon! It wouldn't hurt if we just go there and have a little look of their courtyard."

Roxas pondered this for a while, before giving in and closing his eyes, "…Well… yeah… I guess it would be okay…"

"Okay! How 'bout we go tomorrow night?" Hayner asked excitedly, "Just the two of us!"

Roxas almost agreed to Hayner's proposal, before he remembered the promise he had made to Axel. About the sleepover and such, "…Ahh… I can't tomorrow. I'm going to Axel's place and we're gonna watch some movies and such…"

"Let's take Axel with us?"

"But…" Roxas started, but he couldn't come up with a proper excuse. He slumped his shoulders and chuckled, "…Uhh… well, okay! I'll ask him to come with us too."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A/N: Hmm… I wonder when this story will come to an end… I hope not soon, since I've just recently started to like this story… And it's become more fun to write, because I finally have a clever plot for this story planned in my head. I mean—I've always had a plot for this story, it just has become clearer now. Wheee!

Thanks to everyone who reviewed. :D


	16. Bound By Blood

**My Fatal Reality**

**About the story** – Yea, I don't know why, but somehow I found myself writing a new fiction about Kingdom Hearts. The **pairings** are RikuxSora?xSora, and many more. So if you don't like **shounen-ai**/**yaoi**, please don't read any further. **Bad grammar, angst, Sora- torturing, angst, dark themes, angst** and of course, **boy loving another boy** Oh yeah, and did I mention **angst**? This was first supposed to be DNAngel fic... But… I feel like writing KH stuff ;P

Oh yeah, also mild **Kairi-bashing**.

**Disclaimer** – I do not own Kingdom Hearts.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Chapter 16 – Bound By Blood

Eventually Sora opened his eyes. The room around him was dark and it made him shiver a little. But when he couldn't feel cold at all, he was sure that he was safe now. He smiled weakly, while sitting up and stretching his legs.

Whatever had happened a while ago, Sora knew that he didn't want to experience it again. The feelings that had overwhelmed him back then were something much more powerful than he had ever felt before. Even the loneliness, that he was pretty familiar to, had been something beyond human's tolerance. But why it had been Squall who had brought him back to this world? Why not Riku or Cloud? He knew them both better than the scar-faced male…

He shook his head, deciding that thinking too much would just make his head hurt. He stood up and stumbled through the darkness towards the door. But before exiting the room, he picked Luca up from the floor. As he reached the door, he opened it and stepped out of the room, into a small corridor. He heard faint chatting coming from the living room, and decided to follow the noise.

As he reached the living room, he noticed that everyone was there. Neither one of them seemed to notice him on the doorway though, but only continued their conversation.

"…Sephiroth? Let's just forget about him for now!" Cloud groaned, blushing slightly. Yuna gave him a weird look, and the blonde had to reinforce his statement, "—I mean… We have lots of other things to worry about! What about Sora? We just can't let…"

"Sora?" Riku stood up from the couch and walked towards the brunette.

Sora looked at the silver-haired boy, who made his way to him and pulled him into a tight hug that made the wound on his shoulder ache. But at this point, he didn't even care about the pain. The warmth radiating from Riku made him want to melt in the embrace. He tried to smile, but instead of that, he felt tears starting to pour freely down from his eyes.

"Sora… S'okay now…" Riku reassured Sora, gently running his hand through the cinnamon colored locks, "…Though you nearly gave me a heart attack…"

Sora chuckled weakly against Riku's shirt, "I'm sorry Riku."

"Sora?" Yuna cleared her throat, trying to draw Sora's attention towards her. She waited for Sora to pull away from Riku and wipe his wet cheeks, before he looked at her and waited for her to continue, "…We need to talk."

Sora nodded his head and let Riku grab his hand and pull him towards a small sofa. They sat down on it and Sora fixed his eyes back at Yuna.

"Sora…" The brown-haired woman started uneasily, fingering the fabric of her skirt, "…What exactly happened? Who did you see upstairs?"

Sora gulped. He didn't know how he should explain his feelings… how could it be possible to put that kind of situation into words? He sighed and tried anyway, "I'm not sure. It all just… became so dark and cold all of the sudden. I tried to look for you but… I couldn't see anyone. I felt…" Sora placed his hand on his chest and felt his heart beat painfully, as he thought of the feeling of isolation, "…I felt so alone."

Cloud gave him a concerned glance, "…But that can't be possible… we followed you everywhere and tried to call your name… But you never replied, just glanced into distance and kept walking…"

"Yeah, and when you came to upstairs, you just like froze!" Rikku added, spreading her arms widely, while explaining, "…And then you had this horrified look and we figured that you saw something really terrible there, but we just couldn't think of what, because neither one of us could see a thing!"

Sora looked at the floor. He sure did remember what he had seen… though he would have gladly forgot it all. He shook his head weakly, "…There… there was a woman…"

"A woman?" Riku asked, lifting his eyebrow.

"Yeah."

Gippal, who had been quiet all this time, spoke, "…So what made this woman so terrible?"

Sora looked at the man with the eye patch. He was quiet for a while. Eventually, he sighed sadly and hugged Luca, before he was able to continue, "…She… she had long blonde hair and was wearing a beautiful dress… she was… standing in the shadows… and I tried to ask who she was… and then suddenly she started to walk towards me. I couldn't move, because this black… _thing_ grabbed my ankles, as if trying to pull me into the floor…"

"Sora, why did you look so terrified when she started to walk towards you?" Yuna questioned, as she stood up and walked towards Sora. She knelt down in front of him and placed her hand on top of his leg, "…Please tell us, or we might not be able to help you."

Sora closed his eyes and sniffed, "…She… Her face… well… there wasn't much left of her face. It was as if someone would have sawed it off. There was no skin left and… the blood was dripping down from her faceless head… And then she spoke… she said something like 'Come here, mommy won't hurt you.'. And I… I don't know… I've seen stuff like that before but this time it felt so… so _real_."

Everyone in the room paled as they listened to Sora's explanation. Now they understood why the brown-haired boy had had such a panicked expression…

Yuna felt chills run down her spine, but she quickly shrugged them off and looked at Sora again, "Before? So something like this has happened before?"

"No." Sora shook his head, "…I've just… seen things. But never completely lost the sense of reality."

Gippal stood up and clapped his hands together, so that everyone would turn their attention towards him, "I think that we should call to Baralai. He'd prob'ly be able to help us… Y'know, he is a

Psychologist after all…"

"Yeah!" Rikku agreed with the blonde man, nodding her head furiously, "There's nothing Baralai couldn't solve! He's like a genius!"

Yuna looked at Sora for the last time, before standing up, "Yes, you're right. We should call Baralai…" she admitted, while staring into nothingness in front of her. She shook her head and forced herself back into the present, "…I hope that he is able to help Sora. And if he can't… lord knows who could..."

Squall rose from the sofa and exited the room quietly. It seemed that only Cloud noticed his departure. The blonde sighed and stood up too, ready to leave, until Rikku's voice stopped him, "…Cloudie, I don't know if it'd be a good idea to go after Squallie right now…"

Cloud looked over his shoulder the blonde Al Bhed girl and gave her a confident smile, "Don't worry. I've dealt with more troublesome guys than him."

"If you say so…" Rikku smirked at him, and watched him to leave.

"I'll go call Baralai then!" Gippal announced, but before he could take more than one step towards the kitchen, where the phone was located, Rikku jumped to her feet and dashed past him, "Hey, hold it Rikku!"

"You're so not calling him!"

Gippal rolled his eyes and walked after the girl. The ones that stayed in the living room could hear loud cursing in Al Bhed coming from the kitchen, before Rikku was violently thrown back into the living room, where she returned to her couch and pouted.

"Heyy Baralaii!"

Riku exchanged glances with Sora, as they heard Gippal's voice clearly from the kitchen.

"Ahh, Baralai, you have no idea how much I've missed ya. It's been only like five hours and I'm already goin' crazy… … … Aww, darn it, you're too good Baralai. You're right, that's not why I called, though I still love you… … … Don't be like that, I know ya like it when I… … … Okay, okay, I'll stop… … … Yah, so I just thought that if you could come over? We really need your help… … … No, Baralai, I'm dead serious this time. Just c'mere and you'll see… … … Yeah. Hurry, hun, I'll keep the bed warm for you…"

Rikku slapped her hand on her forehead, while Yuna just laughed. Sora, who was far too innocent to understand everything Gippal had just said, just looked at Riku. The said silver-haired teen sighed, already feeling sorry for this Baralai person…

After a while Gippal returned to the living room, a wide grin covering his features. Rikku shot him a dirty glare, "You just had to do that again! Don't you understand how awkward he gets when you talk to him like that! And I don't want my little baby feel all nervous like that!"

"Oh, sorry Rikku, I just forgot how big crush you have on him…" Gippal teased Rikku, who narrowed her eyes and seemed to ready herself to kill the blonde man, "…But too bad that he doesn't seem to swing that way…"

Rikku tugged her hair and practically cried out loud, "You are so annoying Gippal, you know that? I do not have crush on Baralai!" she stated, "…I just happened to grow up with him and we happen to be really good _friends_. And besides, it's no time for you being an ass like that!! Don't you understand the situation yet you dudym sunuh?!""

"Okay okay, calm down, both of you." Yuna said and shot warning glares at Gippal and Rikku, immediately silencing both of them, "…If you want to fight, please do it anywhere else but here."

Then a silence landed into the living room.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Squall?" Cloud asked quietly, as he pushed Squall's room's door open. He stepped into the room, which was pitch black. Even the curtains were pulled so tightly together that no moonlight could shine past them.

"What do _you_ want?"

Cloud shivered at the coldness of Squall's voice. He tried to look for a light switch, but his hand only collided with a shelf.

"The light switch on the other side of the door…" Squall said, his voice sounding slightly amused.

Cloud blushed in embarrassment, as he eventually found the light switch and pale light illuminated the room. He glanced around and spotted Squall sitting on his bed, glancing out of his window. It was weird how his whole presence seemed to be so absent, yet he looked as if he was full aware of his surroundings.

The blonde started to walk towards Squall hesitantly, like approaching a wild animal that could attack every moment…

"Strife, as you probably already now, I don't bite."

Cloud winced at Squall's words, before managing to catch his usual smile and shrug it off. As he reached Squall's bed, he just jumped on it and crossed his legs, "…Hey Squall, there's a little favor I need to ask of you…"

"What is it this time?" Squall rolled his eyes, "…I hope it doesn't include Sephiroth or anything like that."

"Ahh, noo… it's nothing like that…" Cloud scratched the back of his head and chuckled lightly. Squall gave him and odd glance, before fixing his eyes out of the window again. The blonde man sighed, before continuing, "…My aunt wants to meet you… Tomorrow… after the school."

The scar-faced man snapped his head back towards Cloud and frowned at him, "What? Why'd your aunt want to see me?"

"Because… She wants to see who I'm dating."

Squall gave a half-serious and half-amused glance to Cloud, "And since when we've been dating?"

"Well, we aren't but…" Cloud mumbled, while his eyes turned into pleading puppy-dog like. He saw Squall wincing and he was sure that even the antisocial brunette couldn't resist him much longer… "…But I really really need your help… If you don't help me, I can't spend the weekend over here…"

Squall rolled his eyes and snorted, "I don't care."

"But…" Cloud tried again, this time leaning towards Squall, so that he couldn't do anything but stare Cloud's teary eyes, "…You surely don't want Sephiroth to come after me again…?"

That seemed to work, since Squall sighed and closed his eyes, "…Fine."

Cloud smiled widely as he jumped back on his feet and headed towards the door before Squall had time to change his mind.

"But you'll need to pay that back later though."

The blonde looked over his shoulder, an amused expression on his features, "Pay back? Like how'd you want me to pay back to you? Can't you just do a small favor without wanting anything in return?"

"I could." Squall shrugged and rolled his eyes, "…But not this time."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

After less than half an hour the doorbell rang. Both Gippal and Rikku shot up from their seats and dashed towards the front door. They both were cursing in Al Bhed, while tackling each other and fighting their way to the door.

Yuna sighed and rubbed her temples, "…Sometimes I wonder how old they are again…"

Sora looked at his aunt, before giggling a little. Riku had his arm tied around his shoulders and even though he seemed fairly tired, he did his best to keep his eyes open. The brunette smiled at him and poked his side, "Hey Riku…"

"Mmh?"

"You can go to sleep if you're that tired…" Sora said, while trying to untie Riku's arm from his shoulders, but in vain.

"No way." Riku grinned sleepily and stretched his arms, letting Sora free from his grasp, but only for mere seconds, "…Don't think that I'd you out of my sight after what happened just a while ago…"

Yuna giggled at Riku's remark, but her face turned serious as a beautifully tanned white-haired man entered the living room. He nodded his head to the brown-haired woman and gave her a small smile. Then he looked at Sora, his expression softening immediately.

"You're Sora, I assume?" He said and started to walk towards the brown-haired boy. As he reached him, he offered his hand to him politely, "…I am Baralai."

Sora took the white-haired man's hand and shook it, "…Y-yeah… Nice to meet you."

Baralai smiled and sat down on a couch near Sora. He sighed and looked at Yuna, "…Yuna, could you make same coffee please, it feels horrible to be dragged out of the bed in the middle of the night. Especially if it's Gippal who--"

"Hey, I heard that." Said Gippal, who just walked into the living room and playfully narrowed his eyes at Baralai, "You're so mean, but don't worry, I still love you."

"Gaahh, Gippal!!" Rikku screamed and slapped the back of the blonde's head. She gave him a furious glare, before skipping towards Baralai and sitting next to him, "…Don't worry about him Baralai, I shall keep your safe! You can count on me!"

Baralai laughed and patted Rikku's shoulder, "Thank you Rikku, your help is highly appreciated."

Gippal groaned and rolled his eyes, while Rikku poked her tongue out at him. This, of course, leaded to situation, where Gippal leaped forward and started to strangle Rikku. The said one scratched Gippal's face like a cat, but the blonde male just kept cursing and shaking Rikku by her collar. Both of them spat insults at each other while slowly falling off the couch and continuing their fight on the floor.

"Please stop that…" Baralai tried to calm the two down, but they didn't even hear his voice over their loud dispute. The white-haired male shook his head weakly and turned to look at Sora, "…I am so sorry about that. They have always been like that… ever since kindergarten, they were always fighting…"

Sora blinked his eyes and looked at Riku, who seemed to have hard time holding his laughs back.

Yuna returned after a short while and gave a long glance to the two who were fighting in the middle of the living room's floor. She shook her head and rolled her eyes, deciding that she was getting too old for them and just headed straight towards Baralai and handed him his coffee.

"Thank you Yuna." Baralai smiled and sipped his drink.

Yuna nodded her head and sat down on the comfy armchair.

"So, why did you call me here?" Baralai asked, after drinking half of his coffee, "…And I think it is something serious, since I swear I heard seriousness in Gippal's voice. And I have only once before seen him serious and that was when his goldfish died."

Yuna, Riku and Sora burst out into laughter, which caused Rikku and Gippal stop fighting. The blonde male pouted at Baralai, "Don't tell me that you told them about Pete!"

"Pete was his name?" Baralai coughed, trying to remain calm, "…I am sorry Gippal that I forgot his name. But I remember how devastated you were after your goldfi—I mean Pete passed away. It was a terrible loss to all of us."

Gippal narrowed his eye, that wasn't covered with an eye patch, before sitting down on a couch. He folded his arms above his chest and started his twenty-four hours sulking.

"Yes, but the reason we called you here isn't about Gippal…" Yuna stated seriously, once she had been able regain her composure, "…It's about Sora."

Baralai became serious too and listened as Yuna briefly explained what had happened. He nodded his head every now and then and held his chin thoughtfully. A small frown formed to his features when Yuna finished explaining the situation. There was a long moment of silence. Sora had closed his eyes and leaned his head on Riku's shoulder. Gippal and Rikku had somehow managed to sit next to each other without starting a fight again.

Baralai sighed and said finally, "…Well well. This is something completely new to me."

"It is new to all of us." Yuna stated sadly, "…I've… never seen anything like that before… and I thought that Sora was completely fine all this time… If I only knew…"

"Yuna, it is not your fault." Baralai shook his head and gave Yuna a reassuring smile. Then he turned to look at Sora, who blinked his eyes open, "…So, Sora, how did you manage to wake up from that weird state?"

"I… Squall helped me."

The white-haired man lifted his eyebrow, "…Squall? But I thought that Yuna said you couldn't see anyone."

"That's right… I couldn't…" Sora nodded his head, avoiding Baralai's brownish eyes at all cost, "…But… then I could see Squall."

"I see." Baralai rubbed his nose.

Rikku stood up and placed her hands on her hips, drawing everyone's attention towards her, "…But why'd he see Squall? I mean—it would be kinda logical if he saw someone like Riku, since they seem to be a lot more closer to each other than Squall and Sora."

Baralai looked at the silver-haired boy sitting next to Sora. They sure did seem pretty close, because of the way Riku had his arm lazily tied around Sora's shoulders and he pulled him towards his side protectively. The tanned man chuckled and ran his hand through his pure white locks.

"Maybe…" Yuna said suddenly, "…Maybe it's because Squall is Sora's stepbrother?"

Sora's eyes widened and he gasped, "…**What**?!"

Yuna looked at Sora, a confused expression covering her features. She slapped her forehead and laughed, "Ah, of course! We haven't had time to tell you! Yes—Squall is your stepbrother."

"B-but… I don't…" Sora stammered, not knowing what he should say or think. Squall? His brother? He shook his head and blinked his eyes, "…But… How come… why did I have to stay with Sephiroth? Why… you guys have lived here always… so why you never took me with you?"

Yuna opened her mouth to explain, until she realized that she didn't have an answer she could have given to Sora. She looked down at her lap and mumbled, "…I don't know."

Sora sighed and leaned his head on his palms. He felt Riku's hand slip from his shoulders down to his waist, giving him a reassuring squeeze. It wasn't fair that Sora was forced to live with Sephiroth for so long when Squall had been able to spend all his time with people like Yuna. But then again, his life wouldn't probably be much different even if he didn't live with his father… He still wouldn't have friends at school and he would probably see Shadow anyway…

…But then again… It was because of Sephiroth that Riku had become so close to him. So maybe he was happy the way he was…

"It's okay Yuna, I understand…" Sora replied with a smile, "…It's always too late to change the past anyways."

Yuna sighed, "…You're right. I'm sorry."

Baralai, who had been quiet for a while, sighed. Sora and Yuna turned to look at him, but he just shook his head weakly, "…To be honest, I have no idea what is going on here. This all goes far beyond my knowledge."

Everyone, but Sora, let out small yet sad sighs.

"But." Baralai added quickly and everyone looked at him again, hopeful looks in their eyes, "…But I guess that there is some kind of deep connection between Sora and Squall, even though they don't understand it. Maybe it is because they are brothers or maybe there is some other reason, it is hard to tell."

"But it doesn't make any sense." Riku rolled his eyes as he pointed out, "From what I've seen, they barely even know each other. So why?"

Baralai shrugged, "…Maybe it has got something to do with their subconscious's. Maybe it is the blood that connects them."

"I see…" The silver-haired boy said, his voice sounding oddly sad. But soon his expression turned into confident and he looked straight into Baralai's brown eyes, "…Is there any chance to create that kind of bond between me and Sora?"

Everyone was slightly taken aback from Riku's words.

"Riku?" Sora lifted his eyebrow as he slipped his hand inside of Riku's, "…Why'd you want to do that? It's not like something like that would happen again… or at least, I hope it won't…"

"Yeah, you hope, but that doesn't guarantee that it wouldn't happen!" The silver-haired boy snapped, a little bit too harshly than he had intended. Sora blinked his eyes, and quickly turned his gaze at the floor, deciding that it would be less dangerous to look at. Riku rubbed the back of Sora's hand with his thumb as a small apology, before continuing his speech, "…So Baralai? Is there?"

Baralai held his chin thoughtfully. He remained quiet for a while, before a small pinkish color appeared on his tanned cheeks. He cleared his throat and tried to remain calm, "…Well… yes, I guess… but… Ahh, never mind. You both are too young."

Sora and Riku exchanged glares, before the younger one spoke, "…Eh?"

"Baralai, don't tell me you…" Yuna gasped and slammed her hand in front of her mouth. Rikku did the same, while Gippal just rolled his eyes and muttered something about over-reacting women.

Riku tightened his grip around Sora's hand, but didn't turn to look at the other one. He just looked straight forward, no matter how much Sora whined and tried to get his attention.

"Whatwhatwhatwhatwhatwhat?!" Sora asked, his gaze wandering around the room, but no one was willing to meet his eyes, "…Riku? What's…"

"Sora…" Riku said suddenly, calming the brunette down instantly, "…You know that I would never force you to do anything you don't want…"

Sora was now even more confused than before. He knew that he was pretty naïve by the nature, but he couldn't help it if he couldn't catch obvious hints… And it wasn't his fault that these people around him couldn't create sentences that he was able to understand.

Baralai looked at the confused boy with an awkward smile and said, "…I think that the only way you and Riku can get close enough is…"

"To make love!" Rikku chimed in, her voice happier than she had meant it to sound. Gippal groaned and slapped the back of her head, causing her to trip down on the floor.

…And in mere seconds Sora flushed as red as a ripe tomato.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A/N: This chapter was so boooriiing… Gaahh… Well there will be more action in next chappy (no lemon though, me is too innocent to type anything like that… ).

And I'm sorry that I don't update too much anymore. Damn school… the only thing it causes is pressure and stress… Gaahh… Phef, anyways, please review and make my day (…night) :D


	17. Regret The Darkness

**My Fatal Reality**

**About the story** – Yea, I don't know why, but somehow I found myself writing a new fiction about Kingdom Hearts. The **pairings** are RikuxSora?xSora, and many more. So if you don't like **shounen-ai**/**yaoi**, please don't read any further. **Bad grammar, angst, Sora- torturing, angst, dark themes, angst** and of course, **boy loving another boy** Oh yeah, and did I mention **angst**? This was first supposed to be DNAngel fic... But… I feel like writing KH stuff ;P

Oh yeah, also mild **Kairi-bashing**.

**Disclaimer** – I do not own Kingdom Hearts.

**Sorry for not updating in a while. Hope this chapter is worth of waiting. Lots of love in this chappie!**

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Chapter 17 – Regret The Darkness

After Baralai's sentence, Sora had mysteriously disappeared somewhere. Riku was a little bit worried at first, but was soon too drained into his own thoughts to even notice the flow of the time.

The whole 'have sex with Sora' thing was a little bit random, but then again, if it was the only way Riku was ready to do it. But he wasn't so sure about Sora though… especially after the disappearance-trick he had did right after hearing what he'd have to do.

The silver-haired boy shook his head weakly and lied on his back on the bed. He was sharing a room with Cloud, who was already fast asleep, mumbling something in his sleep. Riku spared him a short glance, before closing his eyes and hoping that maybe he could fall asleep soon. Even though, he wanted to do something completely else than sleeping…

He rolled on his stomach and opened his eyes again. He wondered how Sora was doing and where he was. He hoped that the little brunette hadn't left the house, since he didn't want to save him from that maniac Sephiroth once again. Not that he minded to play a hero, but seeing Sora bleeding to death wasn't a pleasurable sight. Riku surely hoped that he would never again have to see Sora in a state like that. And if he had to see him like that, he was sure that he would kill Sephiroth.

Riku frowned, as he realized that he had never actually seen this _Sephiroth_. He wondered what he looked like. But then again, maybe he didn't even want to know.

"Riku, you should try to get some sleep."

Riku looked at Cloud, who had sat up and was now sleepily rubbing his eyes.

"I guess." Riku replied with a small smile, "…But there's just so many thoughts interrupting me. Don't worry about it though, I'll fall asleep soon enough."

Cloud yawned and stretched his arms. His hair was messy and his eyes held a dreamy look, "…Yeah, so much has happened today. But, you wanna talk about it? And what did Baralai say?"

"Well he said that…" Riku mumbled awkwardly, "…He said that Sora could probably see Squall because they are brothers. They share some kinda deep bond or something like that… And if I wanted to be there when Sora spaces out, I should like… umm… sleep with him."

Cloud stopped stretching his arms and froze. He blinked his eyes and looked at his silver-haired companion, "…What?"

"You heard me."

"I'm not sure if I did."

Riku shook his head, "Do I have to spell it for you? I have to have sex with him."

Cloud's eyes widened and Riku could see a small blush through the darkness of the room. The blonde then mouthed a small 'oh', before laying down on his bed and closing his eyes. Riku chuckled quietly and decided to try to sleep once again.

He felt so much more relaxed after shocking Cloud…

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sora sat in the bathroom, hugging his knees. The lights were turned out for no reason. He just hadn't felt like switching them on after stepping into the room. But now he had started to regret the darkness…

"Oh Sora Sora… sitting here all alone." The cold voice pierced the air. Sora snorted and closed his eyes, earning a short, dead chuckle, "…I see that your prince has _already_ abandoned you. Too bad that not all the stories have fairytale endings."

Sora sighed at the Shadow, which was lurking in the opposite corner of the bathroom, "…How'd you know? It's not like you would've ever been in love…"

The shadow laughed loudly, leaning its back on the wall behind it. Sora was slightly surprised that it was still being so far away from him… as if something was pushing the Shadow away.

"Don't be stupid Sora." The Shadow said with a light shrug, "…I know exactly the same things as you do. Your mind is simple as children picture book."

Sora pouted, but wasn't as afraid of the Shadow as he usually was. This time, he felt like they were having a _real_ conversation. Well, as real as it could be… After all, the Shadow didn't exist, no matter how much it tried to claim so. It would always only be one of _them_ who lived in his mind and haunted him in the darkness.

"Then I guess you know about Riku too." Sora said, hugging his knees more tightly for warmth.

"Unfortunately yes. He causes this emotion, which we so fondly call 'love', in you." The Shadow replied, its voice sounding bored, "…But you know that falling in love and being in love is two completely different things. When you fall for someone, it works like a drug—causes a warm and pleasurable feeling, but that's nothing permanent."

Sora rolled his eyes, knowing that the Shadow was right. But that didn't discourage Sora, "…I know. I bet you read that from my mind too… I remember I read that from some book when I was younger. I was trying to figure what was fatherly love, since I thought that it was merely living under the same roof and seeing each other once in a month or two."

"So, so depressing." The Shadow said mockingly, "…Too bad, even if I know what love is, I don't understand it."

The brunette boy didn't know whether he should laugh or just remain emotionless. Part of him felt sorry for the Shadow, but the other part just plain hated him for just being there. Maybe Shadow was the part of himself, which never was loved and that was the reason he could never love anyone. Maybe that's why it…

Sora froze. That's it. It all made perfectly sense now… He stood up and pointed his finger at the Shadow, "…I understand now."

"Understand what?" The Shadow scratched the back of its head and gave an odd look towards Sora.

"You are… me." Sora smiled and tilted his head back, looking up at the ceiling, "…I can't believe that I've never understood it before. You're all the things I've tried to leave behind. You're formed from all the things I hate and despise. You're the part of me, which was never loved and so you created a form for yourself, so maybe someone could learn to love you."

The Shadow stared at Sora in awe. But soon it started to laugh once again. It laughed so hard that it collapsed on the floor and banged its head on the tiles of the bathroom's floor. After regaining its composure again, it hawked and said, "…Took you so long to understand. But yes, you are right, yet you are wrong. I didn't create myself, because I wanted to be _loved_. I don't even have a heart like you do."

Sora blinked his eyes, "…Then why?"

"I wanted to…" The Shadow stood up too, its yellowy eyes glittering, "…Exist."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Next morning everyone was dead tired as they woke up to eat breakfast and get ready for the school. Well, Riku and Cloud were sent to the school, while Yuna told Sora to stay at home. But to be honest, she hadn't seen Sora that morning at all, because he was still locked in the bathroom. Luckily they had two bathrooms, so his tantrum didn't disturb their morning activities.

Then she told that Squall should go to school as well, because Rinoa wasn't here to give him home schooling. But, the grumpy Squall just snorted and went back to sleep. Yuna had only sighed and rolled her eyes, knowing better than to try to force Squall to go to school. That's why she didn't use force, but blackmailing… With a wicked grin she had whispered something in his ear, which had immediately made him pack his books and run after Riku and Cloud who were already on their way to the school.

"What did you tell him?" Rikku asked curiously, as she watched the three boys disappear behind a corner, "…I thought he refused goin' to the school?"

"He did." Yuna nodded her head and smiled, "…But he's far more addicted to that blonde boy than he cares to admit. I only had to mention 'Cloud' and 'Sephiroth' in the same sentence and he was already leaving the house."

Rikku looked at the brunette woman, before she understood. She giggled furiously and nudged Yuna's shoulder, "Yunie, you devil!"

Yuna shrugged and grinned, "What can you do? They do make a great couple." She nodded, while turning around to look at her friend, "…But now, I guess we should do something to Sora. We can't let him sit in the bathroom whole day."

"Yeah good idea!" Rikku clapped her hands, her expression brightening up, "So, what we should like do?"

"I don't know… Something fun." Yuna said thoughtfully and held her chin.

"Oh, I know what's fun!" Rikku bounced up and down. She had probably put too much sugar in her tea this morning… "…Watchin' Gippal hitting on Baralai's always fun! The three of us could like spy on them!"

Yuna laughed and shook her head, "No, we can't force Sora do something like that. He'd probably be traumatized for the rest of his life…"

"You're prob'ly right… It **is** kind of disturbing how Gippal can just grope Baralai's ass so openly…" Rikku sighed and rubbed her temples in defeat. She slumped her shoulders tiredly, before looking back up at Yuna, "…Weeell… we could plan a romantic supper for Riku and Sora. Then they could watch a romantic movie and after that they would somehow find themselves in a king-sized bed and…"

Yuna pinched Rikku's cheek, dragging her away from her fantasy, "…Please, Rikku, too much details."

"…And maybe some roses…"

"Rikku."

Rikku gave an innocent look at Yuna and beamed, "But Yu-_niee_ don't you want your sis' son to be happy? And Riku's such a fine lad too! He's such a gentleman!"

"I do want Sora to be happy." Yuna rolled her eyes and patted Rikku's shoulder, "…But I don't want to _force_ him to do anything. Neither does Riku, so I guess you lost this one Rikku."

The blonde girl folded her arms above her chest and pouted. Then she spun around on her heels and started to walk towards the kitchen, her chin lifted up.

Yuna chuckled and watched after her younger friend. She sure was determined fangirl… Yuna wouldn't be surprised if she actually got Riku and Sora together in bed…

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Baralaii-ii!"

Baralai turned around and winced when he saw Gippal approaching him. The white-haired man glanced the corridor around him, trying to find a safe place to hide. But before he managed to take a step forward, Gippal was already hovering above him.

"So whatcha say, let's go on a date?"

Baralai sighed and shook his head, "No Gippal. Like I told you before, I am not interested."

Gippal 'pouted' and folded his arms above his chest and glanced the shorter male, "Pleh, you're no fun… Or maybe you already have someone?" he gasped dramatically and stretched his arms in the air, "'Great Baralai has finally found himself a lady or a man, which ever his sexual preference is!'"

"No, I'm still a single. Though Nooj asked me out one other day." Baralai said, but when he saw the grossed expression on Gippal's face, he couldn't do anything but chuckle.

"Ew?!" Gippal nearly shouted, "Nooj's like how old? 100 years?"

Baralai frowned angrily and replied, "He's not old and at least he has some kind of manners, unlike you. He brought me flowers once too."

Gippal only watched as Baralai walked past him and entered the guest room, in which he had slept last night. The blonde man grunted and shoved his hands into his pockets, before walking down the stairs grumpily.

"Fucking flowers." Gippal snarled, as he walked into the kitchen and pulled out a can of beer out of the fridge, "…What kind of flower princess that fuckin' Nooj thinks he is? I mean like—flowers? That's so uncool."

"Umm… w-who are you t-talking to, Gippal?"

Gippal looked over his shoulder and saw Sora sitting by the table, his blue eyes quizzically glancing at his direction. The blonde man smiled and shrugged his shoulders, "No one. Kinda just thinkin' out loud. So how's it goin' today? Hope ya feelin' a lil bit better."

"Y-yeah, thanks for asking." Sora nodded his head and returned the smile, "Umm…"

"Hn?"

Sora fingered his jumper's zipper and mumbled, "I think bringing someone flowers isn't uncool…"

"Ya think so?" Gippal asked and sat by the table with Sora and casually opened his beer can.

"Yeah." Sora insisted, this time a little bit more confidently, "I've never got flowers from anyone, but I think it'd be sweet… A simple gesture to show that you care. Though, what do I know…"

Gippal grinned widely and placed the can on the table, before jumping on his feet, "Hey Sora, thanks."

Sora blinked his eyes in confusion and soon he heard the front door open and shut. He looked at the beer can, which was left in the middle of the table. His eyes automatically drifted out of the window next to him and saw Gippal running through the front yard and disappear behind a group of small houses.

"…You're welcome, I guess."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The school day was awfully boring without Sora around, Riku thought. He shifted every now and then uneasily and glanced his wristwatch, hoping that the school day would end already. He just wanted to go back to Yuna's place and be with Sora again…

Riku bit his pen and looked down at his physics book. He wondered if Zexion was worried about him… which he probably was, because he hadn't told him anything, before he fled through his window and went to Sora's house. His brother would most likely kill him when he get back to home… Maybe he should call him?

But when the classroom's door suddenly slammed open, Riku knew that calling his brother wasn't needed. Because Zexion was now standing by the doorway, his eyes locked at the teacher.

"Excuse me." Zexion said, as he saw the nasty look the teacher was giving him, "I am Riku's guardian. May I speak with him? This is really important."

The teacher straightened her eyeglasses and peered through them, "And what might this really important business be?"

"That is a secret." Zexion shook his head and his eyes scanned through the classroom, before his eyes landed at Riku, who tried his best to hide behind his desk, "Riku. Come here right this instant."

Riku stood up hesitantly and slowly walked towards his brother. When he was standing in front of Zexion, the said one grabbed his arm and yanked him out of the room and slammed the door close with such force that it made the windowpanes shudder.

In the corridor, Zexion was glaring angrily at his younger sibling.

"W-what?" Riku asked, as if he didn't know the reason why Zexion was there, "I just went to Sora's place because you were being an ass."

Zexion closed his eyes and counted to ten in his mind. When he was relaxed again, he said, "…And you were gone the whole night, making me worry so much that I couldn't sleep. You'd better have a good explanation young man, or else you'll be grounded for the rest of your life."

"Oh, I do have a good reason." Riku rolled his eyes, "…But I'm not sure whether you'd believe if I told you that Sora's father's a maniac serial killer and I was set on a journey to find and save Sora."

"Ha-ha, very funny Riku."

"Told you that you wouldn't believe it." Riku sighed and looked away from his brother. Zexion wasn't sure if he saw a small pout forming on his brother's lips. But when he blinked his eyes, the pout was gone and he was pretty sure that he had been only hallucinating.

"Well, I can't say that I wouldn't understand, Riku." Zexion admitted, "When I was at your age, I often ran away with my girlfriend. Mom always yelled at me and then I would just tell her that I was in love and she said that I was hopeless and laugh."

Riku looked at his big brother, a quizzical look in his eyes, "You've never before spoken positively of mom."

Zexion just shrugged and turned around to leave.

"Maybe she had been wrong though." Zexion said, while he slowly walked away, "She said that love brings us together. But after all, it was this so-called love that broke us apart."

Riku watched his brother's departure. Things had surely changed between him and his brother.

"I guess I'm not grounded."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

When Riku had come back to Yuna's place, he couldn't see Sora anywhere. At first he had thought that it was just a coincidence, but after a while he realized that his little brown-haired boyfriend was **avoiding** him. And Riku couldn't stand avoiding, especially not now, when he wanted to be with Sora.

Cloud had to calm Riku down by telling him that maybe Sora was busy helping Yuna with the chores. And that had worked for a while, before Riku saw Sora quickly disappear behind a corner, probably because of seeing him sitting in the living room. The silver-haired boy surely started to lose his patience, but still somehow managed to keep himself from destroying the whole house.

Eventually, Riku had had enough of Sora's avoiding. And when the said brunette tried to run away once again, Riku slammed his fist on the wall, right next to poor Sora's head, who nearly had a heart attack.

"Ehh? R-Riku?!" Sora stammered, scratching the back of his head. He was now trapped in between Riku and the wall behind him. A bright blush flushed to his features and he tried his best not to look at Riku's attracting eyes, "…I-I've b-been b-busy to-today… Y-you know…"

"Yes, busy avoiding me, I've noticed that."

Sora shook his head rapidly, "Nonono, it's not that!" He tried to convince the silver-haired male, but Riku just gave him a half-hearted snort. Sora pouted and folded his arms above his chest, "…W-why'd I avoid you?"

"Maybe because you're afraid that I'll rip your clothes off and rape you right here and now." Riku sighed and rubbed his temples, "…See, you're blushing and trembling right now too…"

"Am not…" Sora hid his burning face into his palms, while trying to escape from Riku, but he couldn't. The silver-haired teen had already placed his other hand on the other side of his head… Sora already knew what would happen next, "…I'm sorry Riku… I just…"

But when Sora couldn't think of anything clever to say, nothing was said. Only glances were exchanged and small sighs crossed Riku's lips every now and then.

"I'm sorry Riku." Sora repeated after a while, letting his head drop down and his forehead rested on Riku's chest, "…I'm just… scared."

The silver-haired boy chuckled and run his hand through his boyfriend's brown hair, "…Well, you think that I'm more experienced than you then?" he felt Sora nodding his head against his shirt and gave him another snicker, "…Heh, to be honest, I'm not. But, like I said, I don't want to force you to do anything, but… if you space out again, I wish that I could be there with you."

Sora closed his eyes and leaned against Riku more. He was silent for a moment, before speaking, "…That's weird though. You're like the hottest stuff walking around here."

Riku burst out into heavy laughs and tied his hands around the smaller boy's waist. He leaned down a little bit and placed a chaste kiss on Sora's temple, "Silly, even if I **am** hot, it doesn't mean that I would've had sex with everyone in our school. I do have my pride, y'know?"

The brunette's face became even redder, if possible.

"But…" Sora mumbled, a small pout on his lips, as he pulled away slightly. He had now enough courage to stare into Riku's eyes without hesitation, "…But you could've easily done that too."

"Mayy-bee…" Riku said slowly, while pushing Sora against the wall and leaning in, "…But I can tell you that you're the most cutest thing here, and it is a wonder how they let you roam freely around. If I were them, I'd molest you all the time. But, then again, I guess I'm lucky that they don't pay any attention on you, so that I can have you all to myself."

Sora rolled his eyes and stopped leaning on Riku and supported his weight on the wall behind him instead. He looked up and locked his eyes with Riku. They just stared each other for a good while, without saying anything for a good while.

"W-why are you staring a-at me like that?" Sora asked awkwardly, as he noticed a weird look cross over Riku's features, "…Riku? Is there something on my face?"

Riku chuckled somewhat nervously and shook his head. He hadn't realized that he had stared at Sora _that_ intimately. Of course he had done it before, but now that things had changed, it felt more embarrassing than before. Riku gave Sora a smile, before straightening his back and letting the other one free.

"No more avoiding me, 'kay?"

Sora smiled and nodded his head. He started to skip away, but a firm hold on his wrist stopped him. He looked over his shoulder, "Huh?"

"I forgot to tell you something." Riku stated with a small smile. Sora looked at him, waiting for him to continue, but the silver-haired boy just stared at him. Once again. Sora wondered if there was something on his face since Riku was eyeing him all the time.

"Riku?" Sora asked and took a step closer to the other one, "Is something wrong?"

Riku smirked and bent towards his beloved and nuzzled his nose against his neck. Sora shivered and let his head fall back slowly, as the hot breath of Riku kept driving him crazy.

The older one moved his head to Sora's ear level and whispered three simple and the most wanted words, "I love you."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Cloud and Squall walked towards the blonde's home in silence. Every now and then Cloud stole nervous glances at the brunette's direction, but didn't dare to say anything. He didn't know what was going to happen when Tifa saw Squall… would she go ballistic or jump in joy?

"Okay." Cloud stated as they reached Tifa's house's front yard. His eyes rested on the ground and he shifted his feet nervously, "…Umm, so let's go inside?"

Squall didn't say anything, but only followed after the other male. They stopped walking in front of a white door and Cloud knocked on it gently.

Soon the door opened and revealed a dark-haired woman. Cloud grabbed Squall's hand and bowed his head down humbly, "Tifa! This'mynewloverpleasedon'tkillhimbecauseIlovehimreallyreallymuch!"

Squall stared at Cloud. Did he just hear him say that he loved him? The scar-faced man turned to look at Tifa and waited for her reaction, and noticed that she was currently examining him with her eyes.

Tifa smiled at Squall, before turning to look at Cloud the sweet smile still covering her features, "Cloud." She said calmly, "I thought you were talking about a girlfriend…? She sure is a masculine woman. Even taller than you… And I bet her name is just as masculine as her appearance."

"The name is Squall." Squall nodded his head, "And I assure you, I am a man."

"A-And, well, in fact Tfa, it was you who started talking about the whole girlfriend thing…" Cloud mumbled, while finding a mat beneath his feet much more interesting than Tifa's eyes, "…B-but I—"

"Cloud." Tifa stated again, still sounding awfully calm, "Go clean up your room then you can go back to Squall's place. Meanwhile I'd like to have a chat with him. You know, talking about daisies and birds and bees…"

Cloud looked at Squall, who nodded his head. The blonde let go off his hand and walked past Tifa into the house and headed towards his room.

Tifa stepped few paces backwards, letting Squall in. She waited for him to kick his shoes off, before walking further into the house and to the kitchen. She seated herself by a round table and gestured Squall to sit down too.

"How long you've known Cloud?" Tifa asked curiously, while leaning her hands on the table and tilting her head to her side a little, "…I mean, he just moved in with me. I just want to know the status of your relationship."

"We met yesterday," Squall answered truthfully, "But I've had my eyes on him ever since he came here."

Tifa smiled and sighed dreamily, "Ah, so romantic. I wish my boyfriend was like that too." She looked at Squall, her smile turning into a smirk, "But you've done good job in seducing Cloud. His former girlfriends had to woo him so many times before he accepted them. I guess they all thought that Cloud was an easy prey, 'cause he's so cute and all."

"I see." Squall replied, trying to sound interested in what Tifa was telling him.

"I should have guessed though," The dark-haired woman continued her babbling, mostly to herself, "I've known him ever since he was a child. Even though I'm only his aunt, we've always been pretty close. So I should have seen it… the way he never really was attracted to women…"

Squall chuckled quietly. Maybe Tifa wasn't so bad after all. And she did care about Cloud too… "I'm glad to hear that you are okay with it."

"What? Of course I am!" Tifa beamed and poked her tongue out playfully, "As long as Cloud's happy, I am happy too. Though lately…"

The brown-haired man looked at Tifa, as she suddenly stopped in mid-sentence. He gave her a quizzical look, but she just shook her head sadly and leaned her head on her palms. Squall lifted his eyebrow, "Is something wrong?"

"I… I don't know." Tifa sighed in defeat, "…You see, he just moved to live with me, because he wanted to study here. But for some reason I get this feeling that he doesn't like it here."

For some reason Squall's heart twitched painfully. But he just nodded his head and persuaded Tifa to continue.

"I guess he misses his parents. And that's just natural…" Tifa held her chin and nodded her head every now and then, "…But ever since he arrived here, his parents hadn't contacted him at all. No phone calls, letters or even e-mails. And now it would seem that they have even changed their phone number…"

Squall looked at Tifa and the dark-headed woman could see anger flash through the stoic brunette's eyes. She formed a helpless smile on her lips, "…And the way he always tells about his days and all the things he does here… He tries to convince me that he is happy, but he can't hide the sadness in his eyes."

"His… eyes…" Squall repeated slowly. He didn't know what to think. Cloud hated this place? Did it mean that Cloud wanted to go away? Squall sighed and ran his hand through his brown hair. He had to calm down and think through this thoroughly. He looked at Tifa, who was glancing a magazine on the table, "If he was to leave, I would stop him."

Tifa smiled, but didn't look at Squall, "Heh, I don't think that he'll leave. He has you now."

Squall opened his mouth to say something, but stopped himself. He and Cloud weren't really going out. This was just some stupid plan to keep Cloud safe from Sephiroth. But nothing more and nothing less. Cloud wasn't Squall's and he would probably never be. And that would mean there was nothing why Cloud would stay here.

"Something wrong?" Tifa asked, when she finally lifted her eyes from the magazine, only to see Squall's pained expression, "Did I say something funny?"

Squall shook his head and stood up. He turned around and walked out of the kitchen, mumbling words 'excuse me', before heading towards the upstairs and the direction where he expected Cloud's room was.

He had already lost Rinoa and he definitely couldn't afford losing Cloud now.

"Squall?"

Squall hadn't noticed that he had already reached Cloud's room. The said male was know looking at him quizzically, a pile of clothes nearly dropping from his hands.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" Cloud mumbled, and threw the clothes to his wardrobe, before turning around and looking at Squall, "I thought Tifa wanted to speak with you? I hope she didn't tell you my most embarrassing childhood stories."

But instead of answering, Squall just stared at Cloud. Did he understand how important he was? Would he leave if he knew what Squall thought of him, or would it just make him stay? Squall tried to search for an answer in his mind, but couldn't. No matter how much he thought, he always came down to the conclusion- Cloud hated this place, he hated the people here, he hated him.

"S-Squall?" Cloud was slightly taken aback. Not because he didn't get any reply from the brown-haired male, but because of the look on his features, "Are you feeling okay? You look… weird."

Squall kept staring at Cloud, until he realized what he was doing and turned his head away, "Ready yet?"

"Uh… yeah." Cloud nodded his head and kicked few books underneath his bed, "Are we in a hurry? I thought that I should pack some clothes and stuff, since I am spending a weekend over at your place."

Squall leaned his back on a wall behind him and closed his greyish eyes, "Make it quick."

"O-okay." Cloud picked up a random bag from his room's floor and headed towards his wardrobe and took out some clothes. After that he headed out of the room and soon returned with his toothbrush and a towel. Quickly he shoved his belongings into his bag and looked at Squall again, "Okay, I'm ready! Let's go?"

Squall 'hm'-ed and straightened his back. He followed after Cloud back to downstairs and towards the front door.

"I'm leaving now Tifa!" Cloud yelled into the house, "I'll be back by Monday. If mom or dad calls, tell them that I'll call them back later!"

Squall nearly missed a sad look on Cloud's features, as they exited the house. But when the brunette glanced into Cloud's eyes, he realized that Tifa had been right. He truly had sad eyes.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A/N: Unlike I promised that I wouldn't be updating before I finished one project, here the next chapter is Took me forever to type, because I never really had time to just sit down and concentrate on writing.


	18. Sleep The Day Away

**My Fatal Reality**

**About the story** – Yea, I don't know why, but somehow I found myself writing a new fiction about Kingdom Hearts. The **pairings** are RikuxSora?xSora, and many more. So if you don't like **shounen-ai**/**yaoi**, please don't read any further. **Bad grammar, angst, Sora- torturing, angst, dark themes, angst** and of course, **boy loving another boy** Oh yeah, and did I mention **angst**? This was first supposed to be DNAngel fic... But… I feel like writing KH stuff ;P

Oh yeah, also mild **Kairi-bashing**.

**Disclaimer** – I do not own Kingdom Hearts.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Chapter 18 – Sleep The Day Away

Sora was sitting in the living room, waiting for Riku to come back, since he had decided to go home to get some clothes and sleepover supplies. This weekend would surely be exciting—for the first time in his life he was sleeping somewhere else than his own room. Of course he had already spent one night in this house, but sleeping in the bathroom hadn't been too joyful experience.

Luca was next to Sora, almost left forgotten. Lately the brunette had paid lesser and lesser attention on his ragged teddy bear. Like yesterday, he had completely forgotten it in the bathroom, and there it had been since today, when Yuna asked Sora where he had left his dear friend. Shocked, he had run to search for Luca, and found it lying on the bathroom's floor.

Sora suddenly snapped out of his thoughts, as Gippal slumped down next to him, a sad frown on his features.

"Something wrong?" Sora asked and looked at the blonde man, "You look sad?"

Gippal sighed and shook his head weakly, "…Remember when ya said that giving flowers is a beautiful gesture?"

"Yeah…" Sora replied, not sure whether it was a good or a bad thing, "Did you give Baralai flowers? And if you did, did he like them?"

"I gave him flowers alright." Gippal shrugged, while leaning his back on the couch and making his position as comfortable as possible, "But when I gave them to 'im, he just shook his head and said that I was a hopeless guy."

Sora frowned and awkwardly patted the blonde male's back. After a small moment of stillness, Sora said, "Well, maybe it's just me then… Because I wish that someone bought me flowers one day… I'd be really happy."

Gippal nodded his head and stood up, leaving the room without saying anything. Sora was slightly surprised by this, but just shrugged it off and fell back into his thoughts. His eyes wandered off to a clock, hanging on the ceiling. Riku had been gone for more than an hour now. Sora hoped that he would return soon…

And right at that moment, the doorbell rang. Sora jumped to his feet, quickly picked up Luca and sprinted towards the front door. And when he reached it, he opened it harshly, nearly knocking himself down in the process.

"Whoa, careful now Sora," Riku laughed at his boyfriend, as he walked in and placed his backbag on the floor. He looked at Sora, who was smiling broadly, "Did you miss me that much?"

Sora rolled his eyes and stepped forward, so he was able to put his arms around the taller teen's neck, "No. I'm just glad to see you."

"Aww," Riku stated with a mocking tone, while pulling Sora closer by his waist, "Little princess Sora doesn't want to admit that he missed his handsome prince."

"I'm not a princess." Sora tried to sound serious, but failed and ended up giggling. He pulled away from Riku and grabbed his hand, "C'mon, you'll sleep in my room tonight! I already made a bed for you so that—"

But before Sora could finish, something warm covered his mouth. His eyes widened, but soon enough he understood to open his mouth and return the kiss. Riku was more than pleased, as he felt Sora giving in and mercilessly started to caress Sora's mouth with his tongue.

Riku's backbag dropped on the floor, as well as Luca. They remained there, while Riku pushed Sora towards his room, which luckily was downstairs.

"Riku..." Sora sighed against Riku's lips, as he was pushed against his room's door. Riku's hands were fumbling underneath his shirt and all Sora could do was whisper silently Riku's name and gasp in need and anxiety.

Somehow they managed to stumble into Sora's room and close the door behind them. Their tongues continued to wrestle and soon Sora found himself being dominated by Riku, just like always. The silver-haired perfection would always be one step ahead of him. He would always be the stronger one and the one who would make him feel weak and powerless.

But, for some reason, Sora liked it this way. He knew that he could never do the things Riku did, and it was alright. When he was with him, he didn't have to try being anything he wasn't.

Sora wasn't surprised when Riku slowly removed his shirt. He wasn't taken aback, when he was shoved on his bed and Riku climbed on top of him, before continuing to give soft kisses on Sora's neck and collarbone. But when Sora felt hands fumble towards the zipper of his pants, he gasped and took Riku's hands into his.

"R-Riku…" Sora said shyly, "…W-w-what are y-you…"

"Sora, you surely know what I want and need," Riku whispered into Sora's ear, his lips touching the other one's earlobe, while he spoke, "…But if you don't want this… then tell me stop now. If I continue any further, I'm not sure if I can stop."

Sora closed his eyes and breathed heavily in and out. His heart beat faster than ever and few sweat drops twinkled on his forehead.

Riku lifted himself a little and gently placed his palm on Sora's cheek, provoking Sora to open his eyes and look at him. And so he did and in mere seconds their eyes locked at each other, as if trying to find an answer to an unspoken question or a reason for all these things, which were happening around them.

"I wonder how did I end up like this," Sora stated quietly. His hands reached up to unbutton Riku's shirt and slowly pull it away. This gesture surprised Riku, but he just stared at Sora, as the younger one continued, "I never thought that there were more to a life than misery and loneliness."

Riku smiled a little, "You'll never know how to appreciate what you have, before you've lost it."

"But…" Sora said, "I haven't lost you, but I'm still glad that I have you."

Riku shook his head and placed a quick kiss on Sora's lips, "I almost lost you once. When at your place, I thought that you were going to die. That's when I realized that if you were gone, I would be dead too. Not maybe physically—I could still walk and breathe, but emotionally I would be dead."

Somehow Riku's words touched Sora's heart. Few tears formed into the corners of Sora's eyes, and he quickly wiped them away, "…Riku…"

"I love you Sora." Riku said, putting so much power into those words that it made Sora shiver a little, "I love you so much. You have no idea what you're doing to me."

After that Riku leaned down only to press his lips against Sora's once more. The kiss was just as sweet as always, but this time it felt like it would have shared deeper meaning. Something, which was never said, but was perfectly understood. It was maybe a mutual trust or a shared secret, no one else could ever find out. But the only thing that really mattered right there, was love.

Riku broke away, ignoring his own need and looked at Sora, "…You know what I'll do to you if you don't stop me."

"Riku…" Sora smiled and lifted his hand to touch Riku's cheek, "Please do it."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Axel, c'moooon!" Roxas whined and his hands were tied around Axel's arm, "Please? I don't wanna go with Hayner alone…"

Axel snorted and flicked Roxas' forehead, "Then why did you tell him that you're coming? And besides, isn't 'going to check on rich-ass people houses' illegal around here?"

"Pfft," Roxas gave an unbelieving glance at his friend, who was trying to continue walking towards his home, "Like when did you start to care whether what you do is legal or not?"

"Since now that you want to go out with your idiot friend instead of being with me."

Roxas stared at Axel. Had he just said what he thought he said? And did the blonde hear a little tint of jealousy in the other one's voice? A small smirk grew to his lips and he untied his arms around Axel's. He lifted his chin in the air and stated, "No, I think it's you who hates hanging out with me. I was trying to be nice, but you just refused and rather watch some stupid horror movie."

That seemed to do the trick, as Axel spun around on his heels and glared at Roxas, "I didn't say that."

"You didn't," Roxas agreed with a nod, "But you meant it, I know it."

Axel frowned angrily, before folding his arms and letting the muscles on his face relax. For a while, he just looked at Roxas, without saying anything. But eventually he gave in and sighed, "Fine, whatever. I was just planning this for telling you something important, but I guess it'll have to wait."

"Huh?" Roxas' eyebrow rose, "What is it?"

"It's nothing special. Well, to me it is, but for you, I doubt it." Axel shrugged, while forming his charming grin on his lips, "But I'll tell you later then."

The blue-eyed boy pouted, but trusted his friend. A small hope was rising in him, upon hearing Axel's words. Something special… it could mean many things, but Roxas hoped that that 'special' thing would concern both him and Axel. He hoped that it would deepen their relationship and they could be more than just friends.

Roxas mentally laughed at his thoughts. He was being completely ridiculous. Axel would never love him, because of what he was. And no matter how much Roxas would try, he could never be anything but himself. But perhaps there still was hope—as long as he would be able to continue pursuing Axel, he did it. Even if he had to do it in secret, he could never stop admiring the redhead.

"Earth to Roxy," Axel waved his hand in front of spaced-out Roxas, who quickly snapped out of his trance, "Are we goin' to meet up with Hayner now or later?"

Roxas blinked his eyes, "Uhh, later. He said that we'd meet at the hill where we can see all the cool houses."

"'kay,"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"So what do you think about Tifa?" Cloud asked, as they walked towards Squall's house, "I hope she didn't ask weird questions or anything…"

Squall shrugged his shoulders, but avoided looking at the blonde, "She's nice."

Cloud laughed. It was weird that someone like Squall found Tifa nice. But then again, she could be actually really adorable when she wanted to… but when she was mad… Cloud shuddered at the thought. One of the things he hated in living with Tifa, was when she was PMSing…

"Ah, well, at least she didn't start throwing stuff at you."

Squall lifted his eyebrow and gave an amused look at the other one.

"Believe me, she could do just that…" Cloud chuckled, as he remembered what had happened once when his first girlfriend visited him. It was about a year ago, and Cloud can't remember seeing that girl after that. The blonde sighed at the thought, "…I thought that she would have destroyed the whole house after hearing that I was gay."

"Are you?"

Cloud blinked at the sudden question. When he realized what Squall had actually asked him, he stammered, "Me? Uh, wha—I mean, I… W-well, no, not really. I-I…"

"Pity." Squall shrugged, "I knew a guy who might've liked you."

"Oh, really? Who?" Cloud asked, trying to hide his confusion, but his surprised voice blew his cover. He could see Squall smirk faintly, as if he had won a first prize in lottery, "Why are you smirking? Has to be something extremely funny, because I rarely see any expressions on your face…"

But Squall decided to go on 'I'm-an-anti-social-bastard'-mode and didn't answer, much to Cloud's frustration.

"Fine, don't answer…" Cloud muttered with a small pout. They walked a while in a thick silence, before Cloud spoke again, "Oh yeah… by the way—thanks… for coming with me and pretending to be my boyfriend."

Squall nodded his head, as a sign that he had heard the other one's words. His face remained emotionless, when he reached his hand out to ruffle with Cloud's already messy and spiky hair. And you can guess just how confused Cloud was now, as he looked up at the brown-haired male. He stared his friend as if he had hit his head, but couldn't find the right words to say.

"I guess this' what friends do," Squall stated emotionlessly, "But you still have to pay back."

Cloud winced and immediately slapped Squall's hand away, "Hey! If you're my friend you're supposed to—"

"Don't worry," Squall said casually, waving his hand in the air, not caring that Cloud had fallen few steps behind, "It won't be anything too bad."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Rikku, could you get Sora and Riku?" Yuna asked the blonde girl, who was currently reading manga, labelled 'Gravitation' and eating ice cream on the sofa, "I thought that we could watch some movie together, since Cloud and Squall are probably coming back every second now…" she explained and when Rikku stood up and started to leave, she added quickly, "And please, Rikku, hide that book somewhere. I don't want Sora to be traumatized too much…"

Rikku removed the ice cream from her mouth and sighed, "Yunieee, I bet Riku's corrupted his mind already."

"Not that much…" Yuna rolled her eyes and kneeled in front of the television and the DVD-player, "…And go get Baralai too. Gippal said he went out to take care of something."

"Oh oh oh, maybe he has finally given up on Baralai and moved on?!" Rikku squealed and did a small pirouette, as she left the living room, leaving her snorting cousin behind.

The giggling woman leaped through the small corridor, but stopped suddenly as she noticed Riku's bag and Luca in front of the front door. She frowned thoughtfully, her fangirl instincts starting to pick up weird signals. She picked up the objects and tiptoed towards Sora's room's door. She pushed her ear against the solid wooden surface, but no matter how hard she tried to listen, she heard nothing.

"Hmm… Weird…" Detective Rikku mumbled, but decided to push the door open and see what's inside.

She peeked inside and noticed that all of Riku's and Sora's clothes were sprawled on the floor. And with all, she meant _all_. From the jackets to their boxers. All in a messy pile next to the bed… Rikku stepped inside the dark room quietly and took a closer look of the bed. And when she saw Sora and Riku lying there, the older one holding the brunette close to his chest, all she could do was squeal in delight.

"YUNIE!! YUNA!" She screamed, as if there was no tomorrow, waking both of the boys up, "YOU CAN'T BELIEVE WHAT I FOUND! OHMIGOD, RIKU ARE THESE BOXERS YOURS?!"

It took Riku a while to realize what was going on and when he saw the blonde girl, he was anything but pleased, "RIKKU? GO AWAY!"

"Uhn…" Sora, who was still half-asleep, moaned and changed his position on Riku's chest a little.

Riku gave a long and loving glance at Sora, before turning his head towards Rikku and glaring daggers at her, "Rikku, get the hell away, or I swear I'll kill you the most painfully way I can come up with."

"Okay, okay…" Rikku, who was now teary eyed and on her fangirl-mode, kept nodding furiously, "C-can I take few pictures first, please?"

"NO!"

"Fine… You don't have to yell…" Rikku snorted, but didn't leave until Riku gave him the nastiest glare he could make. The blonde girl huffed in frustration, before stomping away, as if she had been insulted just a while ago. However, when she was out of the door, Riku could hear her squealing Yuna's name and run towards the living room.

"Idiot…" Riku grunted and closed his eyes, hoping that maybe he could fall asleep again. He hoped that Sora wouldn't mind that soon the whole house knew what they had been doing a while ago. It's not that Riku didn't like Rikku, but he knew that she just couldn't keep her mouth shut at the times. Maybe Yuna would try to hold her back a little, but in the end, nothing could stop Rikku.

"Hmm, Riku?" Sora asked tiredly and nuzzled his nose against Riku's chest. The said one opened his eyes and smiled at the sight of drowsy Sora.

"Whatever you need Sora?" Riku chuckled gently and stroked Sora's forehead. He couldn't do anything but admire the beautifulness of the other one. Sora truly was the cutest boy he had and would never meet. Riku sighed, "Hey, Sora? Are you awake?"

"Umhn…" Sora mumbled against Riku's muscular chest, "…No…"

"That's good," The silver-haired teen said and kissed Sora's head lightly, "Just sleep, Sora. There's no reason for us to get up yet."

And so Sora fell back to his peaceful slumber, leaving Riku stare at him.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

When Cloud and Squall returned to Yuna's house, they heard how they were _supposed_ to have a movie night, but since Rikku had once again ruined the plans by pissing Riku off, the two were free to do whatever they wanted to. At first Cloud had wanted to know how Rikku had been able to make Riku so mad, but when Yuna gave him _the look_, he decided that he did not want to know.

That's why he only followed Squall upstairs and into his room, where the brunette grumpily pulled out a mattress underneath his bed and told Cloud that that would be where he was sleeping over the weekend, unless he preferred the living room's couch. But after hearing how Gippal usually woke up at five in the morning to watch M-rated movies, Cloud chose the small mattress instead of couch.

After Cloud had unpacked some of his belongings, an awkward silence fell upon them. Every now and then Cloud tried to start a conversation, but decided against it. He wished that he would at least know one thing Squall was interested in…

"Oh yeah," Cloud stated suddenly and looked at his friend, "You wanted me to pay back, right? So what you want me to do?"

Squall, who was lying on his bed, replied faster than Cloud had thought, "I want to know few things about you."

"Mmhmm… Okay?" Cloud nodded his head. He doubted that Squall would ask anything too private, so few silly questions couldn't hurt, "What do you wanna know?"

"Well, first of all," Squall sat up on his bed and looked down at Cloud, who was positioned on the floor, "What's your favorite color?"

Cloud blinked his eyes. He had thought that Squall would ask something simple, but not _that_ simple, "Huh? It's blue."

"Blue, okay." Squall repeated Cloud's answer, before asking yet another question, "What about your favorite food and drink?"

Cloud was completely puzzled by now. He couldn't understand why Squall was asking questions like that, but decided that if Squall wanted answers, he would give them, "I like everything that's healthy. Mostly salads and drink could be… umm… don't know, I like nearly everything. Sushi's good too, if it's made properly."

"What's your favorite movie?"

"Artificial Intelligence, A.I., it always makes me cry."

"Day or night?"

"Night."

"Your favorite artist or band?"

"I like almost everything…" Cloud said, while rubbing his nose bridge and thinking for a while, before adding, "Except for something like… umm… Celine Dion or… Justin Timberlake."

Squall nodded his head, his facial expression showing that he was satisfied with the answers he got.

"Okay…" Cloud stated, when he realized that Squall had no more questions, "Why'd you ask all that stuff anyway?"

Squall stood up and walked towards the door. As he exited the room, he grumbled casually, very Squall-ishly, "…Secret."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"You know, Roxas," Axel said, while they were walking to the place, where they were supposed to meet Hayner, "For some reason, I've got a bad feeling about this. And I usually don't get bad feelings."

Roxas laughed lightly, but silently agreed with his friend. He knew this was a bad idea, but a promise was a promise. He would just have to avoid any unnecessary trouble and everything would be okay… right? He sighed and looked up at Axel, "It'll be okay, I think. And besides, there'll be three of us so we'll be fine."

"Hah, I bet Hayner's nothing but a coward," Axel chuckled coldly, immediately gaining a nasty glance from Roxas, "But don't worry, Roxie, I'll protect you. I'll be your royal knight who—"

"Ehh, Axel," Roxas rolled his eyes and snickered, "I don't think that I'll need a knight to protect me."

Axel bowed humbly, yet mockingly, "As you wish princess."

"Right…" Roxas sped up a little bit, after glancing his wristwatch. They were already few minutes late and he didn't want to make Hayner wait, "C'mon Axel, stop whining and hurry up."

"Since when I was whining?" Axel pointed out with a loud snort. He folded his long arms above his chest, but complied with the other one's wish and caught up with the blonde. For some reason he wanted to drape his arm around Roxas' shoulders, but fought against that urge. He just had this feeling that this was one of the last moments they would spend together, "Hey Roxas."

"What is it?"

"About Kairi," Axel sighed, decided that this was the right time and place to tell Roxas, "I'm sorry for always siding with her."

"That's okay…" Roxas replied, his voice shallower than usual and his eyes focused on the rocky pavement, "I just don't understand why… All she does is pick on everyone, especially that Sora guy. I just don't like the way she treats people, that's all."

Axel nodded his head, "I know. But she's not really like that," the redhead stated, his head bowing down a little, "Once you get on her good side, you can't do anything but adore her. That's why she has lots of loyal friends, even though she is really nasty to those who she hates. But that's not the reason I like her, of course."

"Well? What's the reason then?" Roxas asked, but when Axel didn't answer, he understood, "I see. Well, I guess you've got your reasons. But that still doesn't justify the things she does and says… I don't think that she's allowed to just pick persons she hates and pour all of her hatred upon their shoulders. It's just… not fair."

Axel grinned and ruffled Roxas' hair. The said one pouted a little, but this time let the other one mess with his blonde locks.

"Someday…" Axel said, as if he was talking to himself, "…You'll understand why humans love everything, which help them to move forward."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A/N: Whee. Finally it's done, it felt like I'd never be able to finish this chapter. I'm sorry if it's boring, but the next chapter will hopefully keep you on the edge of your seat. That's why, stay tuned and don't forget to review. :winks: Also, thanks for all the reviews I've got so far, you're the best. ;D


	19. Bribe The Fear

**My Fatal Reality**

**About the story** – Yea, I don't know why, but somehow I found myself writing a new fiction about Kingdom Hearts. The **pairings** are RikuxSora?xSora, and many more. So if you don't like **shounen-ai**/**yaoi**, please don't read any further. **Bad grammar, angst, Sora- torturing, angst, dark themes, angst** and of course, **boy loving another boy** Oh yeah, and did I mention **angst**? This was first supposed to be DNAngel fic... But… I feel like writing KH stuff ;P

Oh yeah, also mild **Kairi-bashing**.

**Disclaimer** – I do not own Kingdom Hearts.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Chapter 19 – Bribe The Fear

"There's nothing special here…" Roxas mumbled, after they had roamed around the streets in the 'rich people' area, "All these houses are big alright, but nothing else. Despite the expensive pools and such, I don't think that here's anything special…"

"Aww, don't be like that Roxie." Hayner grinned and casually wrapped his arm around the shorter one's shoulder.

At this point, Axel's eyebrow twitched visibly. But unfortunately neither Roxas nor Hayner saw it.

"Sorry…" Roxas sighed awkwardly, his eyes examining everything but Hayner. He didn't know why, but for some reason Hayner's over-friendly attitude was embarrassing, especially around Axel. The blonde cleared his throat and pushed the other one away, "That's a huge house! I wonder who lives there… Got to be someone really rich, huh?"

At that point Hayner and Axel exchanged glares. The blonde boy narrowed his eyes at Axel, "Whatcha staring at?"

"Weird, I was just about to ask you the same." Axel snapped back and forming his best death-glare. He kind of hoped that Roxas would go away for a while, so he could tell Hayner to back off and leave **his** Roxas alone.

But instead of leaving the two boys alone, Roxas stepped between them and gave them both quizzical glances, "Something wrong? Ready to turn back and go home already?"

"No, Rox, we're fine." Hayner said, while gritting his teeth. He was about to drape his arm around Roxas' shoulders again, but Axel slapped his hand away. Hayner gave the redhead a long and angry look, before just snorting and leaving Roxas alone. If he had only known how protective Axel was over Roxas, he would have never told the blonde to ask his friend come with them…

They walked in uncomfortable stillness for a while. But after ten minutes, Axel and Hayner started fighting again over something Roxas didn't know.

Roxas rolled his eyes at the quarrelling couple. But instead of meddling, he decided that it would be better to let them fight and get over with it. He hoped that they were old enough to know when to stop. Roxas regarded his surroundings and took few steps forward. The place surely was beautiful… Just like in the movies.

Suddenly a group of shivers run down Roxas' spine. He felt as if someone was watching him, but when he looked over his shoulder, he only saw Axel and Hayner, who were still insulting each other. He blinked his eyes and shook his head, trying to drive away the uneasy feeling, but in vain. He looked at the houses in front of him, wondering if someone had spotted them and was wondering what three boys like them were doing there. But he still saw nothing.

Roxas continued walking towards one of the biggest houses. It was as if something had called him and taunted him to take a closer look of that mansion. He heard Hayner and Axel exchanging nasty words behind his back, so he didn't even have to turn around to know that they were still there.

A small voice invaded Roxas' ears. It was inaudible, but the speaker was most definitely a woman. The blonde tried to listen more closely, but still couldn't understand the words. His curiosity made him walk faster forward, until he was standing in front of metallic gates. He looked at the courtyard, but saw nothing out of ordinary.

He stopped to listen again. Now he was sure that the voice was coming from the house in front of him.

"They say that no one lives in that mansion anymore… At least, no one sees anyone come out or in, so everyone supposes it's empty." Hayner, who had appeared behind Roxas, said to Axel with a smirk, "But I bet you wouldn't dare to break into that house."

"Ohh, is that a challenge?" Axel laughed mockingly, as he pushed the gates open, "I bet you'll piss your pants before we even reach the front door."

Roxas opened his mouth to speak, but Axel and Hayner just walked past him. He bit his lip, but followed after the two boys. The voice grew louder and louder after each step he took. But since neither Axel nor Hayner seemed to notice anything, Roxas thought that maybe he was only imagining the whole voice.

"We can't break through the front door, you idiot." Hayner spat and Axel shot him a nasty glare, "Let's walk around the house and see if there's a some other place we could break through."

Roxas grabbed Hayner's sleeve, when he was about to start looking for another entrance, "H-Hayner… I don't think that we should do this…"

"Aww, is lil' Roxy afraid?" Hayner laughed, while snaking his arm around Roxas' waist, despite the fiery glare he gained from Axel, "Don't worry Rox, if it comes down to it, I'll promise that I'll save you. Dunno about Axel, but you can count on me."

"But we were supposed to come here to see these cool houses, not break into them!" Roxas whined with a small pout and folded his arms above his chest. He glanced at both Axel and Hayner, and neither one of them was showing any signs of giving up. The youngest boy bit his lip and sighed, "…What if someone sees us and calls the police?"

Axel shrugged and started to walk, "I've been arrested so many times that I've lost count. The policemen probably just groan and ask 'won't you ever learn?' then I'll laugh at them and we'll go grab some coffee. That's what happened last time, when I tried to set an old oak on fire."

Roxas rolled his eyes. It was typical of Axel to joke about these kinds of things and he would have laughed, if he wasn't so concerned about their well-being. Something about this house made chills run down his spine… But instead of trying to protest any more, Roxas shook his head weakly and slumped his shoulders, "Fine… But if we get into trouble, you two are the only ones to blame."

"Sure, sure." Hayner grinned, his hand still resting around Roxas, "We'll tell them that we kidnapped you and brought you here against your own free will."

Axel, who was already few feet away, rolled his eyes and shoved his hands into his black coat's pockets, "Come on, or I just might leave you behind. Although I doubt that _Hayner_ would mind that, but I guess Roxas would like you to remove your dirty hand from his ass."

Roxas blushed a little and squirmed out of Hayner's grasp and caught up with his red-haired friend. The other blonde boy was left behind to narrow his eyes at Axel and cursing under his breath.

"Axel…" Roxas said quietly, "…Remember that you wanted to tell me something tonight…"

"Yeah yeah… Let's just get this over with."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

They had gotten safely into the mansion without making much noise or catching any unnecessary attention. Everything had gone perfectly well and Roxas had thought that nothing scary would happen.

…But that was until he lost the sight of Axel and Hayner. That wasn't the real problem though. But when he realized that he didn't know where he was or where he had come from, his heart started to beat faster and his adrenaline rise. He was too afraid of yelling out Axel's or Hayner's name, so he kept tiptoeing back and forth, hoping to find the window they had broken through from.

Roxas gulped, when the endless corridors just continued. Everything looked almost exactly the same, because there were no special decorations anywhere. Long red carpets and few mirrors were the only furniture. He didn't understand how someone could live in a place like this, but then again, didn't Hayner say that this place was probably abandoned?

Roxas arrived to the end of a staircase, which seemed to lead to the entrance hall. He let out a sigh of relief, as he quietly made his way down the stairs and towards the huge wooden doors. He placed his hand on the doorknob, but when he tried to push the door open, it didn't even budge. He pouted a little, feeling both frustrated and nervous at the same time.

He scanned the large hall and noticing that he had two ways he could take. There was a door and behind it seemed to be a dining hall and probably a kitchen too. But the other one was a yet another corridor right next to the stairway. Roxas stood still for a while and listened for any sounds coming around him, but when he couldn't hear anything, he walked towards the corridor.

There were few doors but each one of them was closed, so there was no way Roxas would check what was behind them. Suddenly he didn't feel as scared anymore, as he was starting to be convinced that no one really lived in that place. He let his feet hit the floor a little bit louder as he continued towards the end of the corridor, where there were two doors.

"…Office?" Roxas said out loud, as he read the text right next to the other door. He looked over his shoulder, just to make sure that no one was watching, as he pulled entered the room.

He looked around and saw a typical office, which seemed to belong to some busy businessman. He backed away and exited the room, when he realized that there wasn't anything interesting in there and he definitely couldn't exit the mansion through there.

When he stood in the corridor again, his eyes wandered at the other door next to the office. At first he decided against opening the door, but when he turned around and started to walk away, he could hear the door opening behind his back. Chills ran down his spine, but he spun around nevertheless and faced a now open door.

Roxas took a daring step forward and saw a narrow staircase lead into darkness. He swallowed hard, before walking through the doorway. Odd scent lingered in the air and faint music was playing, which Roxas thought were good reasons to turn around and go back, but his curiosity kept him moving. The music was calming, yet it sent a hollow feeling thorough Roxas' body. It sounded children's singing, sometimes accompanied by piano solo.

Eventually the blonde reached the end of the staircase, but he couldn't see anything through the thick darkness. Roxas touched the wall and hoped to find a light switch. But only cold tiles met his hand, no matter how long he searched.

Suddenly a horrible smell invaded his nostrils. He coughed and almost threw up, but was able to hold his contents inside. He covered his nose with his hand and tried to calm his stomach down. He had never before smelled anything more disgusting. It was like a mixture of decayed milk and blood. Roxas' body shook momentarily and he let his back fall against the wall behind him. Suddenly the dim lights illuminated the room, as Roxas back hit the light switch.

But Roxas immediately regret lighting up the room. He slapped his hand to his mouth to stop the scream from escaping and his eyes grew wide in shock.

"P-principal H-Heartily…" He gasped, as he recognized the corpse on the floor. There was more blood than Roxas had ever seen before and he realized why the place was smelling so horrible. For a while he was too shocked to move, but once he was able to walk again, he started to stagger up the stairs, wishing that what he had seen would be only an illusion or a fake.

They had been telling everyone that principal Heartily had suddenly disappeared… and she had been dead all the time. Her corpse was here, where no one could ever find it. Millions of questions ran through Roxas' head as he stumbled forward. Did anyone know she was here? What had she been doing here? Why did she die? Who _exactly_ lived here?

Roxas gasped for air as he reached the main floor again. He could feel sweat run down his face and he sniffed loudly. His body was shaking and after few steps he fell on the floor. He found it impossible to deal with the things he had just seen. He knew that he needed to tell someone before it was too late, but his feet had stopped taking orders from him.

"Roxas?!"

Roxas looked up and saw Hayner and Axel running towards him. They both were glancing at him oddly, as they knelt down next to him and Axel placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Roxas? Are you okay? You look like you just saw a ghost." Axel remarked and frowned deeply. Roxas shook his head slowly, his hands in his lap and a hollow look in his eyes. The redheaded boy leaned forward a little bit and ruffled Roxas' spiky hair, "Hey, Roxy? What's wrong?"

Hayner was just as confused as Axel was. He poked Roxas' cheek and said, "Look, let's get outta here if you're that freaked out. Me and Axel already did enough exploring and came to a conclusion that this house's creepier than any horror movies we've ever seen."

"N-n-no." Roxas muttered and shook his head rapidly. He opened his mouth and tried to say something, but all the words seemed to be tangled in his throat. But after swallowing he was able to say, "Mrs. Heartily… she… she's dead."

Axel and Hayner exchanged glances, before continuing to stare Roxas.

"I-I saw her, I swear!" Roxas said, trying to convince the two teens to believe him. He looked over his shoulder and nodded towards the open door, "She's right there… I… There was so much blood…" he buried his face in his hands and his shoulders started to tremble, "…I didn't know… Everyone said she had disappeared…"

Axel reached his arms out and was planning on tying them around Roxas, but Hayner was faster and pulled the other blonde into a tight embrace. A loud sigh escaped from Axel, as he stood up, but kept his eyes locked at Roxas. He had never before seen him act like that… Roxas usually stayed calm, no matter what happened. It was almost scary to see the blonde so fragile and down.

Suddenly Roxas looked up, but not at Axel, but something behind him. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open, while he pointed at something. Axel looked over his shoulder, but was only able to see a glimpse of silver hair, before he was knocked aside and his head hit the wall. He let out a small groan of pain and his vision was fuzzy for a while.

Hayner, who had noticed the sudden change of atmosphere, stood up and pulled Roxas up with him. He looked up at a man, who had long silver hair and piercing eyes, which seemed to be staring right through him. The blonde narrowed his eyes and stepped in front of Roxas, blocking him from the man's view, "Excuse us for intruding, we thought that no one lives here."

"Ah, little children seem to be attracted to this place." The main said and grinned a little, "But I'm afraid that this' not an amusement park."

Hayner let out an uneasy chuckle, while acting as brave and reckless as usually, "Oh really?" he said sarcastically, "Well then, I guess we just leave then. We wouldn't want to trouble you any longer…"

"Trouble? Now now, who wouldn't _enjoy_ some company," the silver-haired male said and took a step closer to Hayner, "I get so _lonely_ here, especially after I killed everyone who used to live here with me. Or at least I _thought_ I did."

Roxas grabbed Hayner's arm and pulled him back against the wall with him. The blonde looked around and saw Axel still lying on the floor, which caused a flood of anger sweep over him. Of course they had done wrong, but this silver-haired man wasn't completely sane. And Roxas knew that if they didn't do something soon, this mansion might turn out to be their last resting place.

"Y-you…" Hayner gulped, as he watched the man approach him and Roxas. He lifted his fist in the air, hoping that he would be able to protect Roxas and himself, but before he could even think of attacking, he was swiftly swung aside. His back collided with the floor painfully and the air was knocked out of his lungs.

"Hayner!" Roxas yelped, before furiously glaring at the silver-haired male's direction.

"Since when did you become so angry and full of hatred? Maybe seeing the death itself made you grow some backbone…" The taller man hovered above Roxas, letting his hair fall down past his shoulders, "…Sora?"

Roxas' eyes widened, as long fingers snaked around his neck and squeezed hard. He gasped for air sharply, while kicking and punching madly, "I—gah— I'm n-not… S…Sora!"

"Not Sora?" The man laughed coldly and let his fingernails dig in Roxas' skin. The desperate inhalations the blonde was trying to take, made him grin even wider and fed his sadistic fantasies, "And I thought you'd be grateful for once. I will reunite you and your mother, isn't that the thing you want the most? To see those you used to love again. All of your friends as well as your mother."

Roxas was starting to run out of oxygen and the blood didn't seem to circulate in his head anymore. His eyes rolled up and he felt his consciousness disappearing.

Suddenly the grip around his neck loosened and he fell on the floor. He looked up and saw Axel holding a tall candlestick, while Sephiroth was lying on the floor and something red dripping down from the back of his head, staining his silver locks. Roxas gulped, quickly stood up and looking around for Hayner. The said one was sprawled across the floor and holding his head.

"Thanks Axel." Roxas said and formed a shaky smile at Axel, before running towards Hayner and kneeling in front of him, "Hayner! Hayner, you okay?"

Hayner stood up, holding his head and groaning in pain. But after rubbing his temples a little and straightening his back, he cleared his throat and said, "Yeah I'm okay. Let's just get the hell outta here before that creep wakes up again."

Roxas looked at the unconscious body of the silver-haired man, before nodding his head and starting to run towards the front door. He was actually surprised that his legs even worked after being shocked for more than once during less than ten minutes. He heard Axel and Hayner pacing behind him, until they reached the door, which was tightly shut.

Hayner stepped forward and tried to open the door, but nothing happened. He gritted his teeth, "Great. We're locked inside with that psycho over there."

"Idiot, we'll just go back to the place we entered this house." Axel rolled his eyes and turned around, "I hope you remember which room's window it was."

The taller blonde snorted loudly and walked past the redhead, "Of course."

Now it was Roxas' turn to follow the two boys, as the headed towards the exit. However, when they reached the floor of the house, Hayner stopped walking and looked at the countless of doors, which all looked completely the same. He winced and looked at Axel, "How the hell do you think that I remember which one it was?! There's like millions of doors!"

"You'd better remember." Axel snarled, fighting against the urge to give a good smack across Hayner's face, "Don't you understand that we're gonna die here if that lunatic guy down there wakes up and finds us again."

Roxas sighed and stepped between the two fighting males, "Let's split and find that do—…"

"No, we are definitely not going to split." Axel and Hayner said in unison, before grabbing Roxas' arms and pulling him towards the random direction.

After opening and closing few of the doors, each one of them started to get a little bit nervous. They didn't know when the man downstairs would regain his senses and come after them and what he would do, once he found them. Roxas shuddered at the thought, but quickly focused on finding a way out again.

"Ahh, what the hell!" Hayner yelled and marched through an open door and headed towards a window, "We'll just freaking break a window and get out!"

Roxas and Axel exchanged glances, but agreed with the blonde nevertheless. But they froze, when they heard loud cursing coming from the downstairs and not long after someone was stomping up the stairs. Of course they all knew who this 'someone' was and Roxas pulled Axel quickly into the room and closed the door as quietly as he could.

Axel pressed his back against the door, preventing it from opening, even if that silver-haired man tried to enter the room. He glared at Hayner and hissed, "Take a fucking chair and _break_ it."

Hayner nodded his head briefly, before picking up a small stool and throwing it at the window. But unlike he had thought, the glass didn't break, only caused a loud noise echo through the whole house. Roxas slammed his palm against his forehead and prayed that the silver-haired psycho was either deaf or stupid. It was odd how weird both Axel and Hayner were being. Of course their lives were in danger, but Roxas still found it strange, how they could be so calm, yet hysterical.

"What the…" Hayner muttered and picked up the stool again and hacking the window with it, "Are these windows made of some sort of steel or what?!"

Axel closed his eyes and inhaled a deep breath, "Why don't you wonder that later and just find a way to break that window, or soon you don't even have to worry about it anymore."

Roxas' eyes wandered to the window and he frowned when he saw a small knob on it. Hayner had lifted the stool in the air once again, but before he could hit the windowpane, Roxas stopped him, "For crying out loud…" he sighed and opened the window with ease, "Men… always so loud and hardly useful."

Hayner was about to reply with a clever remark, but when they heard someone kicking the door behind Axel's back, each one of them fell silent. Only the knocking continued, but the redhead pressed his back against the solid surface persistently and closed his eyes.

"Why are you so afraid?" The silver-haired male said from behind the closed door, but his voice could be heard loud and clear, "Death? Pain? Ignorance of what might happen? No matter how long you hide, you can't get away from me. And then again, if you tried to catch me, I am sorry to tell you that that won't work either."

The teens exchanged glances, not sure what the man was talking about.

"—Money will bring people down on their knees. Humans… so pitifully weak."

When a complete stillness surrounded them, both Roxas and Hayner inhaled deep breaths. Axel, however, could still feel the door moving behind him and whispered to the two boys, "Get out of here."

"What about you?" Roxas frowned at his friend, giving him a concerned look.

"You'll go get help and come back here, of course." Axel chuckled quietly, hoping that his nervousness didn't reflect in his actions. He noticed how Roxas was looking at him, his usually bright crystal blue eyes were now dim and indefinable emotion hiding in them. He grinned at the younger teen, before letting reassuring words cross his lips, "Hurry up, Rox. We still are gonna watch that movie tonight, right?"

Roxas swallowed loudly and blinked his eyes few times to drive away the odd sensation, "I've never liked horror movies."

"I know that." Axel shrugged his shoulders, "But I like watching them with you."

The blonde had to shut his eyes tightly now. For a moment he forgot how to breathe. It felt like this was the last time he would see Axel, yet not. When he opened his eyes again, he saw Hayner slowly approaching him. He fixed his eyes at Axel and gulped, "I can't leave you Axel."

"Hay', be a good boy and leave with Roxas." Axel stated firmly and when he felt two hard pushes move the door behind him, he chuckled, "And don't forget to hurry. I don't feel like gettin' killed here."

Hayner nodded his head, while taking Roxas' hand in his own and pulling him towards the open window. The younger blonde kept glancing over his shoulder at Axel, "Axel… I… I lo—… I-If you die here, I'll come to Hell and bring you back to life, so that I can kill you again for being so stupid."

Axel stuck his tongue out playfully, as he watched Hayner and Roxas disappear through the window. Immediately his cool posture started to fade and the insecurity took its place on his features. He shoved his hands into his pockets and fingered his lighter. He silently prayed for Roxas and Hayner return soon and hopefully bring some backup with them.

But as he toyed with his metallic lighter, an idea popped into his mind. Foolproof and reckless, the way Axel had always liked it.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

After being gone for more than four hours, Gippal returned home. He had a wide smile on his lips, as he stomped into the living room. He immediately spotted Riku and Sora sitting on the couch and grinned at Sora, before handing him a big bouquet of roses.

Riku's expression was priceless, while Sora was just plainly confused.

"Ya said you liked flowers," Gippal chuckled and scratched the back of his head, "So I thought that I could be nice and bring you some, since Riku never buys ya any."

Riku narrowed his eyes dangerously and stood up, looking up at the man, who was more than a head taller than him, "Excuse me? You just like… bring flowers to **my** boyfriend?" the silver-haired boy said in disbelief and gained a nod as a reply, "Well…I doubt that Sora's into older men anyway…"

"Eh, Riku…" Sora tugged Riku's shirt's sleeve a little and laughed awkwardly, "I just happened to mention Gippal how you never bring me flowers…" he explained, but when he saw the frown on Riku's features, he added quickly, "—It's not like you'd have to, though! I was…um, well, just thinking out loud, I guess?"

But the older teen's frown just deepened. He glared at Gippal, then at the flowers, before giving Sora a thoughtful glance. With a loud snort he walked out of the living room and only seconds later Sora and Gippal could hear the door opening and closing. A small chuckle escaped the blonde man's lips, as he seated himself next to the brunette.

"Don't worry 'bout it Sora." Gippal laughed and nudged Sora's shoulder, "He's just jealous I brought you flowers before he did. He'll come back with a bunch of roses in his hands and maybe chocolate. Trust me."

Sora pout-frowned, before biting on his bottom lip and placing the roses on the couch beside him, "I hope so… I don't want him to be mad at me…" he sighed and leaned his head on his palms, "…It's funny though. Just before you came back, I had this weird feeling… like something was wrong. I don't know why…"

"Well thanks buddy, glad to hear that ya already knew I was gonna mess up." Gippal joked, but when Sora didn't laugh with him, he returned to his serious self, "What's up Sora?"

Sora shook his head and shrugged his shoulders weakly, "I don't know."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A/N: FINALLY:sighs in relief: Took me so long to finish this chapter. It didn't turn out to be as exciting as I thought it would be, but oh well. And wow, 300 reviews! I don't know how to thank you guys enough. And for those who are waiting for reply to their PM, I'm sorry for being so lazy again. I'll try to reply by tomorrow.


	20. Through Hell

**My Fatal Reality**

**About the story** – Yea, I don't know why, but somehow I found myself writing a new fiction about Kingdom Hearts. The **pairings** are RikuxSora?xSora, and many more. So if you don't like **shounen-ai**/**yaoi**, please don't read any further. **Bad grammar, angst, Sora- torturing, angst, dark themes, angst** and of course, **boy loving another boy** Oh yeah, and did I mention **angst**? This was first supposed to be DNAngel fic... But… I feel like writing KH stuff ;P

Oh yeah, also mild **Kairi-bashing**.

**Disclaimer** – I do not own Kingdom Hearts.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Chapter 20 – Through Hell

Riku walked angrily down a path towards the closest flower shop he knew. He still tried to internalize the thought of Gippal giving _his_ Sora flowers. _Gippal_ of all the men in the world! Riku snorted and kicked an innocent stone lying in the middle of the pavement.

"Hmm…" Riku stopped walking and sniffed the air. It smelled funny, as if something was being burned down. Riku blinked his eyes and looked all around himself and soon spotted a cloud of smoke in the horizon. He took few steps forward and gaped, "That's… Sora's house…"

For some reason his feet started to lead him towards the burning mansion. He didn't care if Sephiroth burned down with his house, but he was curious of what was going on. He thought that maybe Sephiroth had grown tired of living with knowledge of all the things he had done. But then again, Sephiroth's conscience seemed to have died a long time ago.

Riku almost crashed on two running boys, who suddenly came behind a corner. He recognized both of the boys from his school, but couldn't recall their names.

"Hey you!" The taller blonde boy almost yelled and pointed at Riku, "Call a police, ambulance or whatever!!"

Riku lifted his eyebrow and offered his cell phone to the hasty teenager. He then fixed his eyes on the other boy, who tried to catch his breath, "What's going on?"

"I… We… Axel is…" The boy said, close to sobbing, "…We had to leave him in the house… He said that he would hold back that crazy man… He said that I was Sora and then he tried to strangle me, but I swear we only wanted to see if that house was deserted or not, but then he came and there was this corpse downstairs and I…"

"Whoa, hey wait…" Riku cut him off, "Who are you and what exactly happened?"

"I'm Roxas and I…" Roxas said, as his shoulders slumped and his head bowed down. He wiped his eyes quickly, before continuing, "…Axel stayed in that place so that we could escape. He told me and Hayner to get help, but then there was this explosion and…"

Riku glanced at Hayner who was calling to 911. Then he looked back at Roxas, who had his palms pressed against his eyes and his shoulders trembling pitifully. Riku frowned, "So what you are saying is that there is still someone inside of that burning house?"

Roxas nodded his head a little and bit his lip.

"Great…" Riku groaned and walked past Roxas, "I'll go there. You stay here and wait for backup."

Roxas opened his mouth to stop Riku, but before he could say a word, the other one had already disappeared from his sight. Hayner, who ended his call just in time to see Riku running away from them. He looked at Roxas, who seemed to fight a mental war against his own judgment. Soon, however, the blonde started to take determined and fast paces towards the burning mansion.

"Roxas!" Hayner yelled after him, but the other one didn't stop walking, "Roxas, you can't be serious! Axel will kill me if he finds out that you went back there!"

Roxas turned around and glared angrily at Hayner, "How'd you think that he could kill you if he dies?!"

"Oh, that's a very good point, but…" Hayner walked up to Roxas and grabbed him by his wrist, "…You can't go back there. We'll go to my place, drink tea and clear our minds, or we could—…"

But then Roxas did the unthinkable. He slapped Hayner. Straight on his left cheek, which made the older one yelp in surprise and let go off the other one. Roxas saw that now was his chance and quickly made a run for it.

Hayner was left behind, angry and cussing, before he ran after the younger blonde.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Where's Riku?" Yuna asked Sora, who was still sitting on the living room's couch, the flowers in his hands. The woman took a notice of them too, of course, and lifted her eyebrow, "What's that? From Riku?"

Sora looked up at Yuna and shook his head, "No. These were from Gippal. And I guess Riku pissed off and left."

Gippal, who was positioned on a chair near the television shrugged innocently and continued watching a boring document of lizards. Yuna sighed and massaged her temples. Living in her household would never be boring, although she wondered how come she ended up under the same roof with six gay men. Few hours ago she had found Squall in kitchen making Sushi for Cloud and now Gippal had given Riku the wrong idea. Yuna felt like living in a soap opera.

"Don't worry Sora, Gippal has messed things up before too." Yuna reassured Sora, ignoring the murderous glare Gippal send her, "These days I wonder if even Squall has become more romantic than him."

"Whaddaya mean?" Gippal grunted, "I thought we agreed on the fact that he's as kind as a brick wall."

Yuna giggled and sat next to Sora, "I guess I could tell you, if you promise to keep quiet and don't pick on Squall later on."

Gippal and Sora nodded their heads, swearing that they would keep their conversation as a secret.

"Today I caught Squall red handed, when he was making _Sushi_." Yuna told, delight glittering in her eyes, causing Sora to blink his eyes and Gippal snort. The brunette woman nodded her head rapidly and continued, "And when I asked him, what exactly was he doing, he told me that he would be booking a motel room and taking Cloud there."

Gippal cleared his throat, "Wow, that's too much information."

"Did Squall really do that?" Sora asked in disbelief, but a broad smile on his lips.

"Yes he did." Yuna smiled just as widely as her nephew, "I couldn't believe it either! But he really did. Let's cross our fingers and hope that Cloud likes boys."

Sora laughed and momentarily forgetting all about Riku.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Can I open my eyes yet?"

"No, not yet." Squall replied hastily to Cloud, who almost started removing the blindfold from his eyes. Cloud mumbled something about how he despised presents like this.

When Squall led Cloud into a small motel room, his stomach twitched. He couldn't believe he was actually doing this. Squall had absolutely no idea about how to be romantic or anything, so he thought that he could start with doing stuff Cloud liked. He didn't even know if he had enough guts to admit Cloud how he truly felt about him.

"Squaaaall… where are we goiiing?" Cloud whined and folded his arms above his chest. Squall chuckled a little, which only made Cloud more suspicious, "Where are we? Can I please take this blindfold off now?"

Squall placed his hands on Cloud's shoulders, while standing behind him. He leaned in a little and whispered into Cloud's ear, "Now."

Cloud immediately tore the rag away from his eyes and gasped at the sight. The room wasn't big or luxurious, but it was decorated in all of his favorite colors. Well, most of it was, at least, like the bed sheets, carpets and curtains. On a table nearby the bed Cloud could see millions of different salads and clumsily made Sushi. When he looked out of the window, he could see beautiful scenery of the town they lived in.

"Do… Do you like it?" Squall asked, embarrassment echoing in his voice.

But Cloud was too stunned to reply. He walked towards the food table. He picked up one of the Sushi rolls and snickered at it. He looked at Squall and pondered whether the stoic man had done them himself. A faint music suddenly started playing and Cloud's smile only widened.

"You've really gone through a lot trouble, haven't you?" Cloud asked and Squall shrugged his shoulders a little. The blonde sighed and stepped towards Squall, "…Squall… I don't know what to say…"

Squall looked away when the smaller man stood in front of him, "I understand if you don't like it."

"Pfft." Cloud snickered and shook his head. He grabbed Squall's hand and tried to make the other one look at him. Eventually he gained his full attention, "Did you do this all by yourself? The Sushi too?"

But just like Cloud had thought, he got no reply from Squall. Instead the other one let out a low growl and just walked past Cloud. The said one watched at him, as he bowed down behind a large bed and pulled out a DVD. He threw it to Cloud, who caught it easily.

"…This'…" Cloud's eyes widened, "…The _A.I._!"

Squall seated himself on the bed and pointed at a DVD-player underneath an average-sized television, "I thought that we could watch it."

Cloud's smile turned into a smirk and he moved towards the bed. He climbed on top of it and sneaked towards the brunette man, who looked at him oddly. Cloud placed his head on Squall's thigh and said, "This' so nice of you that I'm already wondering what's going on?"

"Let's just…" Squall muttered, feeling slightly awkward, "…watch the movie."

"Alright." Cloud straightened his back slowly and offered the DVD to Squall, who grumpily stood up and went over to the television. As he kneeled down, he could feel Cloud's eyes following his movements. Soon the said one sighed and rolled to his back on the bed, "It's been all weird ever since I moved here. The principal disappeared, Sora's father's gone nuts and all that…"

Squall frowned. He didn't want to think about Rinoa right now. He would have to keep on searching for her, but now the only thing he needed to focus on was Cloud, "Let's not talk about Rinoa."

"Oh…" Cloud slapped himself mentally, "Don't worry Squall. I just know that she's still alive somewhere out there."

The scar-faced man didn't reply, as he headed back to the bed with a remote controller in his hand. Cloud moved a little, so that the other one could sit next to him.

"Say, Squall," Cloud said as Squall was positioned comfortably next to him, "Why'd you do all this for me?"

Squall rolled his cold eyes and laid down next to Cloud. He wondered if Cloud really didn't understand why he had done all this for him, or was the blonde only messing with him. Squall stretched his arm over Cloud's shoulders and gently pulled the other one closer to his body.

"Tonight, you'll understand."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Axel groaned as he tried to crawl towards the lower floor. He had thought that he would only burn down that one damn shelf, but then it had suddenly exploded. He wondered if he should have searched through the drawers a little, only to make sure that nothing would explode. But it was already too late, and almost half of the house was on fire.

Although Axel was a slight pyromaniac, situations like these weren't nice. He swore mentally that he would make love to Roxas so hard after getting out. After all, it was the blonde's fault that he was here.

Eventually he found the staircase and he rose back on his feet and dashed to the first floor. Smoke wasn't as thick in there as it had been on the second floor, but it still made the redhead cough. He chuckled, "Oh me and Roxy will have so much fun after I get out."

Suddenly he heard a window break. He looked around and listened for any more noises, but the only thing that caught his ears was the sound of fires burning the house slowly down. Axel sighed and started walking towards a random direction. He didn't care where he headed, as long as he found a way out.

Something collided on Axel's back and he fell on the floor. Cursing he quickly rolled around and saw a familiar silver-haired man, luckily not the murderous one. He recalled his name was Riku, since a while back, Kairi couldn't stop talking about him. Axel guessed they had been dating, but since Kairi hadn't spoken about him, they must have broke up.

"What the hell are _you_ doing here?" Axel spat.

"I could ask the same." Riku grunted and helped Axel up, "And what the heck, are you trying to burn this place down?"

The redhead rolled his eyes in frustration, "Didn't mean to, but I guess it doesn't really matter."

Riku shrugged his shoulders, before nodding his head towards the direction where he had come from, "C'mon, let's get out of here. I was supposed to go buy my boyfriend flowers, not save idiots from a burning house."

Axel snorted, as he walked past Riku and made sure to brush his shoulder violently against his, "You are gay? Wow, would've never guessed."

"You don't look too straight yourself either." Riku commented. He turned around and showed Axel the way to the room, where he had broken into the house. He kept glancing over his shoulder occasionally, hoping that the crazy man, who occupied the mansion, wouldn't follow them. Riku looked at his companion and asked, "Where's that crazy man? Don't tell me you killed him."

"Naw, although I wish I did." Axel mumbled and ran his hand through his hair, "That bastard touched Roxas. He will pay for what he did."

Riku sighed and climbed out of a broken window, and inhaled a deep breath of fresh air. Soon after him, the red-haired teen practically jumped out of the window and grinned victoriously.

"Damn, that was a close one." Axel laughed and patted Riku's shoulder, "Although your 'help' was unnecessary, I guess I should thank you."

"Sure, whatever." Riku replied and slapped Axel's hand away.

Another explosion made both of the boys run away from the house. Axel laughed and said something about how he had never been able to cause that many explosions. Riku couldn't help but smile too, although the situation was far from funny, especially if someone found out that it was the redhead who had burned that building down.

After they had climbed over the fence, which surrounded the mansion, they collapsed on the pavement and laughed.

"It's not everyday that you get to burn down big houses like that." Axel said between laughs.

"Yeah." Riku agreed, as his laughter started to cease. He lied on the cold pavement for a while, before sitting up and looking at the other boy, "By the way, I saw that Roxas boy on my way here. He's a cute one, don't you think that you should go looking for him?"

Axel immediately shot up and get up on his feet, "You're damn right. And besides, I think we should leave the crime scene, before we attract too much attention. I bet these explosions and burning mansion has already alarmed the neighbors."

Riku nodded his head and stood up as well. He was about to say something, but shut his mouth as he saw a silver-haired man exiting the house.

"Look." Riku said to his companion. Axel looked over his shoulder and saw the tall man running towards a big limousine, while holding something to his chest. The teens exchanged glances and Riku asked, "What do you think that could be? Must be something fairly important."

"I don't know." Axel admitted, "But I bet it's nothing nice."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Hayner, let me go!" Roxas screamed and tried to kick away the boy, who was currently lying on top of him. He wanted to go back and help Axel, but Hayner wasn't going to let him go. They were rolling on the ground, Hayner pressing Roxas to the ground.

"I'm not going to let you go back _there_." Hayner grunted, as he caught Roxas' fist, before it touched his chin, "Face it Roxas, you can't help Axel."

Roxas knew that Hayner was right, but struggled for a while before giving up. He looked up at the boy above him and frowned, "Fine, you're right. Now get off me."

"Hmm, actually…" The older blonde started to grin and let himself fall down a little bit closer to the other one. Roxas wrinkled his nose and turned his head away from chuckling Hayner, "I think I kinda like this position…"

"Ha-ha, very funny." Roxas mumbled, not even slightly amused. He shoved Hayner away, when the other one least expected and was able to jump on his feet. He looked down at his friend, who was still grinning like a madman, "What?"

"Oh, nothing." Hayner shrugged, while standing up as well. But the grin still existed on his features and it made Roxas suspicious.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Roxas asked.

Hayner threw his arm around the blonde's waist and pulled him against his chest, "How about giving your hero a kiss? After all, I did kinda protect you at that mansion, so I think that I might deserve a reward."

Roxas rolled his eyes, but rose up on his toes and gave a small peck on Hayner's cheek, although he wasn't sure if he really deserved it. Then he placed his palms on his chest and pushed him away, "Now let me go. You've been invading my personal space too much."

"R… Roxas!"

Roxas and Hayner turned to look at the direction of the voice and saw Axel heading towards them, Riku following right behind him. Roxas' expression brightened and he detached himself from the other blonde and took slow paces towards the redhead.

"Axel!" Roxas cried out loud as he ran into Axel's extended arms and wrapped his slim limbs around the taller teen's waist. He buried his head into the dirty fabric of Axel's shirt and closed his eyes, "…Never… never do anything like that again…"

Axel winked his eye at Riku, who shook his head and smiled.

"That I can't promise." Axel laughed, as he embraced Roxas, "If it comes down to it, I think I could endure a little bit more than that."

Riku's smile widened and even Hayner's lips curved slightly upwards, even though he tried to look as disgusted as possible. The silver-haired boy looked at the direction of the burning mansion as he heard the siren of fire truck coming closer.

He hoped that Sephiroth had taken the hint and left for good. The only thing he desired for now was peace for him and Sora, so that they could start from the beginning. He didn't want to see any more suffering caused by Sephiroth. That man had already done enough to ruin innocent lives.

"I guess this' the end then." Riku said, mostly to Hayner, since Axel and Roxas were too busy to hear him.

Hayner turned to look at Riku and arched his eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"The time when we can laugh at the past and head for tomorrow." Riku answered, his eyes staring into the distance, "Ever since I met Sora, my life turned from normal to something completely else. Damn, to think of all the things I've gone through with Sora. I've got a feeling that maybe from now on we don't have to struggle any more."

"You may be right." Hayner shrugged and folded his arms above his chest, "But I think that my troubles are just about to begin."

Riku looked at the direction where Hayner was intently staring and saw Axel and Roxas. He sighed and patted the blonde's shoulder, "You've chosen a hard game to play."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sora stared out of the living room's window. He had been standing there for a good while already, worriedly glancing the clock above the television every now and then. Gippal was watching some sort of boring soap opera and was too focused on it to even notice the brunette by the window.

Sora sighed. He was worried about Riku. He had just left without saying anything and had been gone for too long time. What if something had happened to him? He hoped that he hadn't come across with his father. And when he came to think of Sephiroth, he wondered what he should do now. There was no way he could return home, so he was stuck with Yuna. Of course he loved being in her household, but something in him craved for his past.

He leaned his head against the windowpane. He wondered what the life would be if his family hadn't been torn apart. He wished that he could once try a normal life, in which his mother and father would both be alive and love each other and Squall was allowed to be part of their family.

But then again, if he had lived a normal life, he might have never met Riku.

"Gippal!" Rikku, who suddenly appeared in the doorway yelped, "Sephiroth'c syhceuh ec uh vena! Yuna yht Baralai cyet dryd ed ec sucd megamo dryd Riku sekrd pa drana!"

Gippal immediately stood up. He looked over his shoulder at Sora, before back at Rikku, who shook her head. The blonde man turned around and gave a big smile to Sora, "Don't worry Sora. We'll go out with Rikku for a bit, but we'll be back soon. Stay here and don't even think 'bout followin'."

Sora blinked his eyes and nodded confusedly. He waved his hand after the two, as he watched them leave the living room and eventually the house. He wondered what was going on. Rikku had said Riku's name and sounded hysterical, which made him only worry more.

He bit his lip in frustration and paced back and forth. Before long he couldn't take it anymore and grabbed Luca from the couch and leaped towards the front door and against Gippal's orders left the house.

He had absolutely no clue where Riku could have gone, so he just walked forward and glanced his surroundings.

Faint scent of burning wood lingered in the air. Sora glanced around and saw a cloud of smoke coming from somewhere behind few tall houses. His curiosity made him turn around a corner towards the direction of the smoke. But he froze when he saw a familiar black limousine next to the pavement only few feet away from him.

Sora gulped and took clumsy steps backwards. The car's engines started suddenly and the blinding headlights illuminated Sora. The said brunette turned quickly around and started running for his life. He jumped over a fence and ran across a big grassy yard. From a small hole in a hedge, he entered the next yard, still keeping up his fast pace.

Eventually his feet hit the pavement again and he kept heading for Yuna's apartment. It was only few blocks away and he was positive that he would make it. He looked over his shoulder just in time to see the black car come behind a corner and charge towards him. He gulped and pressed Luca tighter against his chest, as he started running again.

His breathing became heavy, as he kept running the fastest he could. He knew that he could never rival the limousine's speed, so he had to come up with a plan how to reach Yuna's house before his pursuer caught him.

But before he could even start thinking of a plan, Luca fell from his grasp and dropped down on the ground. Sora immediately stopped running and spun around to pick up the teddy bear. He quickly kneeled down to get Luca, but when he stood up, he felt a firm hand grasp his shoulder.

"Caught you."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A/N: Bleh, sorry it took so long (again). Thanks for your reviews.


	21. Steal The Breath Away

**My Fatal Reality**

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Chapter 21 – Steal The Breath Away

Hayner slumped after Axel and Roxas, who were like glued to each other. Or mostly Axel was clinging on Roxas, while the blond tried to keep up a conversation in which Hayner could participate as well. But Axel didn't seem to want any more communication with Hayner, so the only thing he focused on was the smaller teen.

"Well, I guess we'll be heading back to Axel's place…" Roxas said to Hayner, as he squirmed away from Axel. He stood in front of the other blond and gave him a faint smile, "Thank you once more. Without you, I doubt that we'd still be in one piece."

"That was noth—…" Hayner was cut off when Roxas leaned up and pressed his lips on his cheek. The taller one felt red color spread all over his face. True, Roxas gave him a quick peck earlier, but he had been prepared for that one. This time he was totally taken off guard. But before he could start enjoying himself, Roxas had already pulled away and returned back to Axel's side.

Speaking of which, the redhead didn't seem too happy. He glared at Hayner as if trying to murder him with his eyes.

"C'mon Roxas, let's go." Axel muttered, as he grabbed Roxas' hand and started to pull him towards his place. Roxas gave glanced at Hayner for the last time, before obediently following Axel.

Once the two teens were out of his sight, Hayner slumped his shoulders and let out a long sigh. He wasn't sure what he saw in Roxas, but he supposed that it really didn't matter much. Axel and Roxas seemed to be happy together, so it was a happy ending for them.

"Hey, Hayner!"

Hayner turned around and saw his two best friends approaching him. Pence and Olette waved their hands at him and wide smiles present on their features.

"Hey guys." Hayner greeted the two, "What brings you here?"

Olette shrugged her shoulders. She glanced around, as if trying to search for something. She frowned and said, "I could ask you the same. I thought you were supposed to be out with that Roxas boy?"

"Yeah." Pence agreed, while eating an ice cream, which he had been holding.

"Hm." Hayner folded his arms above his chest and looked away from his friends. He couldn't tell them that Roxas had just rejected him. He created a smirk on his lips and cockily replied, "Naw, I figured that he wasn't my style. I'm better off without him."

Pence and Olette exchanged glances, but neither one of them said anything.

"Hey, c'mon!" Hayner chuckled, as he walked around the two teens and behind their backs. He leisurely draped his arms around his friend's shoulders, "I think we're good like this."

"You're right." Pence finished his ice cream, "We're perfect like this."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sora hugged Luca tighter and pressed his back against the car's seat. Sephiroth's piercing eyes stared at him intently, as if trying to murder him. He decided to focus on the scenery outside the car's window, when the atmosphere became close to suffocating. In the corner of his eye, he saw a small wooden chest next to his father. He wondered who was driving the car and where they were going, but was too frightened to ask.

"Sora, Sora, Sora." Sephiroth sighed and ran his hand through his silver hair. He then picked up the chest and placed it on his lap, "Some people can't pick their enemies, but you can't pick your allies."

Sora shivered, as he listened to Sephiroth. Each sentence made chills run down his spine.

"But it doesn't matter any more." The silver-haired man said, while moving towards Sora, "You're just like your mother. If she had stayed home and not gone with that bastard of a man, maybe I would have spared her life."

Sora was close to tears, when he felt Sephiroth's long hair touch his cheeks, as the older man leaned in to give a small kiss on his forehead. He clutched Luca and stared at the seat in front of him, where the Shadow was sitting. Its yellow eyes glared at him with blame and hate, as if he had done something wrong. But soon its expression changed into malice and wicked.

"I thought that you, my only son, might have always stayed by my side." Sephiroth whispered into Sora's ear, making the said one tremble violently, "But you're no different from Aerith and that bastard boy, who is not my son, much less your brother."

"B-but Squall _is_ your son as well…" Sora mumbled quietly, but immediately regretted it, when Sephiroth slammed his fist on the car's window, right next to Sora's head.

"That, my dear son, is wrong. You share only half of the blood, which means that he's not qualified as a member of our _perfect_ family." Sephiroth said loudly, yet he didn't yell, "Those foolish people will soon find out what truly happened to your dear mother as well as that nosy principal. But before I'm done with this world, I need to get few things done."

Sephiroth withdrew himself from Sora, who inhaled a shaky breath. But soon he was startled again, as Sephiroth placed his hand on his shoulder.

"And you shall help me. You have an honor to be the one to witness the death of your so called brother."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Riku ran back to Yuna's house the fastest he could. Without even knocking, he slammed the door open and ran to the living room, expecting it to be full of people. But when he faced the empty room, his stomach twitched. He turned around and stood still for a while, but no matter how hard he listened to any noises coming from the house, he could hear nothing but absolute silence.

"Sora?!" Riku yelled, as he ran to the kitchen, but no one was in there either. He kept dashing around the house, yelling out Sora's name, but there was no answer to his call.

But Sora wasn't the only one missing. Everyone else had disappeared somewhere as well. Maybe they had run out to find out what the ruckus at Sora's house was all about, Riku thought. It was the most logical explanation.

Riku inhaled a deep breath, and decided that he should head back to Sora's house and look for Sora there. He ran back to the front door and opened it. He let out a small gasp when he saw his elder brother standing on the doorstep.

"Ze-Zexion!" was all that Riku could say, "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you." Zexion said simply, as he walked past Riku into the house and pulled the door close behind him. He eyed the place for a small moment, before focusing on his sibling, "Even though I never told you that you were grounded, you could have at least kept me informed."

Riku sighed and massaged his temples, "Look, I really don't have time for this right now."

"Oh, don't bet on it." The older one said, as he stepped in front of the door, making sure that Riku wouldn't try to escape from him, "After all the trouble I went through just to find you."

"Okay fine." Riku grunted, "Make it quick."

Zexion shook his head tiredly, "I'm not sure if I can." He replied honestly. Riku rolled his eyes and motioned towards kitchen, where they sat down by the table. Zexion clamped his hands together on the table and looked at his brother, "Kairi came by earlier today. Said she was worried about you."

Riku groaned, "I thought she understood to back off…"

"Riku." Zexion said sharply, making Riku wince visibly. The only person in the world who could terrify Riku was his dear brother. Not even Sephiroth could frighten him as much as Zexion. The said one stared bluntly at his brother, before saying, "I know that you don't really like Kairi, but she too is nothing but a human."

The silver-haired boy looked down at his lap, knowing where his brother was getting at, "But she was mean to Sora."

"That's not the case right now." Zexion raised his voice, as he slammed his open palm on the table, "She's much like our mother. Never knowing how to show how much she cared about us."

"She's not even close to what she was." Riku muttered, "Mother at least tried to care about us, while Kairi doesn't."

Zexion's patience was coming to its end. He inhaled a rather shaky breath and ran his hand through his hair, "A woman with a heart wouldn't throw her two sons out of her house. She's not like Kairi. She doesn't care and isn't afraid of showing it, while Kairi does care, but doesn't know how to show it."

"How'd you know that anyway?" Riku asked and narrowed his eyes, "You don't know what she's like."

"Maybe I don't, but I do believe her." Zexion said all too calmly, as he stood up and walked past Riku, towards the door, "And if you don't believe me, ask Axel. I just don't want you to hate someone who doesn't need to be hated."

Riku frowned, as he watched his brother leave. He sat still and thought about the things his brother had just said. He had noticed how Axel had always been slightly protective over Kairi, but Riku had never even thought of asking why. He guessed that they had been friends since forever, which is why they had such a strong bond.

Riku stood up and glanced at the clock on the ceiling. It was past midnight and no one could still be seen around. He sighed and shook his head, as he decided that he would continue his search for Sora.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Cloud sighed in content, as the movie ended and he had stopped crying. He couldn't help it, but he always got emotional after movies like A.I. He looked at Squall, who was right next to him, holding him against his chest. Cloud had started to wonder whether loving a freezer was as hard as he had thought it would be.

"Hey Squall…" Cloud purred and ran his fingertips up and down Squall's torso, "…You're still yet to tell me why you're being so awfully nice to me."

Squall 'hmp'-ed silently, before gently changing their position, so that Cloud was lying on his back, while he laid down next to him, pulling the other one as close to his side as he could. He could sense the questioning glance of the blond man, so he sighed and replied, "Isn't it kind of obvious?"

"To be honest, yes it is." Cloud laughed and poked Squall's ribs, "But I want to hear you say something. And you know what that something is."

The brunet man closed his eyes. It was now or never and he knew it. He didn't go through all this trouble for Cloud for nothing. He wanted to change his opinion on him. But he still was unsure what he truly meant to Cloud. He wanted to say it so badly, those three correct words that Cloud was waiting for.

Squall opened his mouth, but the words were tangled in his throat. As nothing came out, he closed his mouth and sighed. Whoever thought that confessing would be this hard? Squall held Cloud closer and breathed into his yellowish hair without saying anything.

"You're hopeless." Cloud stated with a small chuckle, before gently breaking free from Squall's embrace. The older one gave him a quizzical glance, as he walked to the other side of the room and picked up his white coat, which was lying forgotten on the floor. He turned around and looked at the man by the bed, "Well if you don't have anything to say, I guess I might as well leave…"

"No!" Squall jumped to his feet and ran to Cloud, before he could take another step, "I mean— no, don't go just yet."

Cloud smiled a little and slowly moved closer to the other man. Squall's hands found their way to his shoulders and pulled the other one inwardly closer.

"Well, Squall?" Cloud said innocently and tilted his head back a little, "Do you want to say something?"

Squall opened his mouth, but this time he was interrupted by a knock on the door. He cursed quietly, as he let go off the blonde male and slumped towards the door. Cloud snickered behind him, although Squall didn't understand how he could find the situation amusing.

Squall tore the door open and prepared to yell at the intruder, but before he could get a word out of his mouth, he was knocked down on the floor. His head spun a little and the only thing he could see was a tall silver-haired man inviting himself into the motel room. He was dragging Sora behind him, forcing him to follow him.

"Well well, what do we have here…" Sephiroth pronounced slowly, as he stepped over Squall and towered in front of Cloud. Sora tried to pull his hand free from his father's tight grasp, but could do nothing but squirm powerlessly. Sephiroth smirked at the blonde male, "So there was something going on between you two. Which makes this all the more fun…"

Sephiroth finally let go off Sora and closed the motel room's door soundlessly. Squall stood up from the floor, still feeling a little bit lightheaded from the harsh blow he had received from Sephiroth.

"What are you doing here?" The scar-faced man asked, "And how the heck did you know we were here?"

The silver-haired man chuckled and stared Squall with hatred flashing in his eyes, "Oh you know. I have money, therefore power. And besides, your dear little brother here couldn't afford risking the life of his loved one."

Squall fixed his eyes at Sora, who looked down at his feet. It was true that he had accidentally slipped about Squall's intentions to take Cloud to a local motel. Later on, Sora wasn't even sure how the hell he had ended up telling Sephiroth that.

"I… I didn't mean to…" Sora whimpered, as he felt Squall's heated glare upon him.

"Don't be mad, Leon." Sephiroth said cynically, as he walked in circles around Squall, "These will be the last moments of your life, so I'd advice you to use them wisely."

Squall was afraid, but on the outside he tried to remain as calm as possible. He folded his arms above his chest and followed Sephiroth's every move closely, "As if. What do you think you could do? Too much noise would alert the security and you'll be thrown out in no time."

"But I would still be able to kill you, wouldn't I?" Sephiroth stated victoriously. He picked up an empty salad bowl from a small table nearby the bed.

"Father, stop it!" Sora screamed, as he saw the evil glimpse in the corner of Sephiroth's eye, "Haven't you already done enough?"

The silver-haired man fixed his gaze from Squall to Sora, who was trying to pretend brave, although his knees were shaking violently. Sephiroth surpassed a laugh, as he glared at his son, who was a pitiful sight in his eyes. When Cloud noticed the death glare Sephiroth was sending to Sora, he stepped in front of the younger boy.

"Ah, so you're acting brave now." Sephiroth sighed and smirked at Cloud, "Don't worry, after I've dealt with Leon, I'll make sure to get rid of you as well. But don't worry…" he flashed his teeth and took few steps towards the blond, "…I can guarantee that you will learn to love the end of your life."

"Stay away from him."

Sephiroth chuckled and turned around. He saw Squall glaring at him with the most spiteful eyes he had ever seen. The situation was getting interesting, he thought, as he advanced towards the man, who was supposed to be his son.

"Who are you to order me around?" The man spat, as he stood tall in front of Squall.

Before Squall could even blink, Sephiroth threw the porcelain salad bowl at his head. The impact sent him to the floor, where he lied motionlessly. Blood coming from a small wound on his temple stained the carpet in mere seconds.

Cloud's eyes widened at the sight. He hid Sora behind his back and tried not to look at the brunet man lying on the floor. He swallowed his sobs, as Sephiroth slowly turned back around and stared at him. Cloud stepped backwards, pressing Sora behind him against a wall. He mentally prayed that a miracle would come and save them.

"Come here boy." Sephiroth motioned to Cloud, who didn't move an inch. The silver-haired man snorted and walked towards him, "Fine, I'll come there."

Cloud gulped. He looked over his shoulder at Sora, who returned his look. A reassuring smile came to Cloud's lips, although he was close to tears, "Don't worry Sora, it'll be alright."

Sephiroth grabbed Cloud's wrist and yanked him forward. The older one easily tossed him on the bed and climbed on top of him. Sora watched in terror, as Cloud struggled against the man. As he couldn't take it any more, he turned to look at his stepbrother, who was lying on the floor.

He had never imagined that things would turn out like this. All the people who were never supposed to be hurt had gone through so much for him. And the only thing he could do was to watch as the things got out of hand. Sora bit his lip and balled his fists. He took few steps towards his father, who was busying himself with Cloud.

"S-stop…" Sora said meekly, but too quiet for Sephiroth to hear. He cleared his throat and tried his voice again, "Stop it, Sephiroth."

This time his voice reached Sephiroth's ears, but the only thing he did was give Sora a small glance over his shoulder.

Sora realized that Sephiroth wasn't going to listen to him. He gulped, before jumping on the bed and attacking his father, hoping that he would be able to knock him off of Cloud. He grabbed the man's hands, pulled and yanked, doing everything to get him away from the blond, "Stop it Sephiroth!!"

Sephiroth let out a half-hearted laugh, before shoving Sora away. The brunet fell on the floor, almost next to Squall. Sora bit his lip to smother a cry of pain, as he stood up the fastest he could. But when he thought of attacking Sephiroth again, he noticed that the said man had gotten on his feet as well. Sora's eyes widened, as he realized that instead of Cloud, he was focusing on him.

"Oh, Sora. My dear adorable son, you know that you shouldn't have done that." Sephiroth scolded, as he reached his hand out and grabbed on Sora's shirt. He started pulling the unwilling Sora towards the bathroom.

Cloud lied on the bed, immobilized. He breathed heavily, not quite sure what was going on any more. Only a second ago, Sephiroth had hovered above him, but now he was gone and dragging Sora to the bathroom. Cloud tilted his head to his side and saw Squall on the floor. The brunet hadn't moved at all. Cloud's vision became blurry, as he forced himself up from the bed and crawl to Squall.

"Squall…?" Cloud asked quietly, as he grabbed his shoulder and shook him gently, "Squall…. Please say something… I… Sora is… I don't know what to do…"

Cloud laid his head down on Squall's back and started sobbing. He wrapped his arms around the other one, as he buried his face deeper into Squall's shirt. A thought of getting help crossed his mind, but he couldn't let go off the man he was holding.

"You… after all this time… don't go dying on me!" Cloud yelled, "Don't you dare…! We've gotta save Sora and get out of here… Stand up Squall, don't give up now!"

Meanwhile in the bathroom, Sephiroth was pouring a porcelain sink full of water. Sora sat in a corner, waiting for his father to make the next move.

"I thought that we would have done this together." Sephiroth stated suddenly, scaring the already frightened Sora, "You, me and Aerith. We could have been a family again."

Sora swallowed loudly, "D-do wh-what?"

"To die." Sephiroth replied simply, as he watched the sink fill with water. As the water almost spilled over the edges, he turned around and pulled Sora towards the sink, "But I guess it can't be helped. We will be together, however, so don't be afraid."

Sephiroth grabbed the back of Sora's neck and tried to push his son's head in the sink. Sora started immediately fighting, when he realized what his father was up to. He was going to drown him. He was going to die, just like Cloud and Squall would. And he would never see Riku again, if his life ended right there and then.

Sora placed his hands on the edges of the sink and fought back. Sephiroth groaned in annoyance and placed his free hand on the back of Sora's head and pushed harder. The brunet yelped, just before his head broke the surface of the water and his whole head sank into the freezing cold sink. He tried his best to hold his breath, but his lungs were already about to give up.

For a while longer, Sora tried to kick and break free from Sephiroth's grasp, but it was no use. He closed his eyes and tried to gather the last bit of strength he had. And when he started struggling again, he was amazed how easily he was able to break himself free. He pulled his head out of the water and gasped for air, which only resulted in loud coughing.

He looked around and saw Cloud standing there, his eyes focused at Sephiroth, who was staring right back at him. Sora felt dizzy and found it close to impossible to think clearly.

"But Sora is… Sora is your son!" Cloud said, tears forming in his eyes, "…Just like Squall's supposed to be! How can you do something like this to your own family?!"

Sephiroth rolled his eyes half-heartedly, as he pushed his hand into his coat's pocket, "How does this concern you? If you had been a good boy and stayed home with your mommy, nothing like this would have ever happened."

"What do you know what it's like in my home?!" Cloud yelled and balled his fists, "And what about Squall's feelings?! You can't just… barge in and… and kill him! It's not his fault if he's not your son!!"

Sephiroth pulled a gun out of his pocket and aimed at Cloud, "Stop acting as if you cared."

Both Cloud and Sora winced, as they saw the pistol in Sephiroth's hand. Sora looked at Cloud, who lifted his chin and tried to look as confident as he could. They both knew very well that Sephiroth wasn't someone to hesitate. He would pull the trigger if he needed to.

"What do you want from me?" Cloud asked.

"At first I thought that you might be nice to play with…" Sephiroth said, his eyes wandering up and down Cloud's body, "…But I think that we don't have time for that. And since it's impossible to keep people like you silent, I need to silence you for good. It's a shame, but can't be helped."

Cloud saw as Sephiroth slowly pressed the trigger. He closed his eyes and pressed his back against the wall.

Sora's eyes widened as he watched the scene. He was about to grab Sephiroth's hand and stop him from shooting Cloud, but before he could do this, something had already tackled the silver-haired man on the floor. Squall was on top of the older man and was struggling against him, and trying to get the gun from his hands.

"Stop interfering." Sephiroth hissed, as he kicked Squall's stomach and knocked him off of him. The brunet man grunted and made another attempt to steal the gun, but it was already too late. Sephiroth was back on his feet and now pointing his weapon at Squall, "I'm starting to get annoyed."

Squall stepped in front of Cloud. The blond sighed in relief, "Squall…"

"To the bathtub." Sephiroth said to Squall and motioned towards the tub, "Now."

Squall bit his lip and quickly turned around. He stared into Cloud's eyes and gave him a small smile, something that he had never done before. He touched Cloud's cheek with his open palm and caressed it gently, before mouthing, "I'll distract him."

"Leon, to the bathtub." Sephiroth said again, this time more persistently.

Squall gave the one last glance at Cloud's direction, before stepping in front of the bathtub. Cloud stared at the brunet man, his eyes wide and blurry. He could already tell where this was going to lead. But when Squall frowned and nodded his head towards the door, Cloud silently walked to Sora and grabbed his hand. He made sure that Sephiroth wasn't looking and gave his best smile to the scar-faced man.

Then Cloud turned around and walked out of the bathroom with Sora. He bit his lip so hard that he wouldn't scream and cry, because he knew that he was leaving something irreplaceable behind.

When Squall was sure that the two teens were gone, he looked at Sephiroth, "Do you want to bathe with me, _father_?"

Sephiroth growled and stepped a little bit closer to Squall and the gun in his hands was pointing straight to his chest, "Don't play dumb with me."

Then there was a shot. Squall's eyes widened, as something hit his chest and he fell backwards. He fell into the bathtub, although the falling seemed to last forever. He reached out to grab onto something, which would prevent him from collapsing, but only thing he could grab was a pure white shower curtain. But instead of keeping his balance, it only fell over Squall, as he landed on his back.

The pain on his chest was terrible. He looked down and saw a small hole, which bled like hell. Then he looked at Sephiroth, who smirked victoriously. Squall felt bad for letting the silver-haired man feel such joy.

But then he remembered something. He remembered Cloud. His soft hair and low voice. He remembered that sweet smile on his lips… on those lips, which he was never able to touch. And there was something else, but he wasn't sure what it was.

"Finally I got rid of you." Sephiroth said smoothly.

"I… I forgot to…" Squall mumbled, as he tried to recall what he had forgotten to do. The only thing he could think of was Cloud. And then there was this warm thought of Rinoa and the others, who had always been with him. But then there was Cloud again. And something he was meaning to tell him. A longing smile came to his lips, "…Cloud… I forgot to tell him… I love…"

But before he could finish his sentence, Sephiroth had shot him again and cutting him off, this time for good.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A/N: It took me a lot of willpower to finish this chapter. I gotta admit that this was the most hardest things I've ever written.

And I can't help it how in all of my stories Sephiroth rapes, or almost rapes, Cloud. Shame on me. :(


	22. The Sweetest Oblivion

**My Fatal Reality**

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Chapter 22 – The Sweetest Oblivion

Cloud ran the fastest he could. He kept holding Sora's hand, pulling him after him, as they exited the motel and ran into the cold night. The blond was sobbing, although he tried to focus on escaping over crying. But no matter what he thought of, his mind lingered on the last few seconds he saw Squall.

He knew he would never see him again. Sephiroth hadn't come to see him just to scare him off. Although Cloud tried to think positively, he couldn't. He knew that he had just left to die the man he loved. And he had never even had a chance to admit it out loud.

When they had run for a good while, Cloud couldn't take it anymore and collapsed on the pavement. Sora ran to his side and kneeled down, "Cloud…!"

"I… I never thought that things would turn out like this…" Cloud said, while trying to catch his breath in the middle of his weeps, "If I had only realized it sooner… I would've… I would've told him sooner how much I love him…"

Sora wrapped his arms around the older boy's shoulders and let him cry against his shoulder, "…I think… he knew all the time."

"No…" Cloud shook his head, "…He didn't. That's why he booked the motel room and all that… just to make me like him… although I already…"

Sora stroked Cloud's spiky hair and sighed quietly, "…Cloud, please don't cry. I don't think that Squall… my brother, would want to see you sad."

Cloud cleared his throat and wiped his eyes, although he still couldn't stop crying. He pulled away from Sora and nodded his head tiredly, "I know Sora… thanks for reminding me…"

Cloud stood up first and glanced up at the starry sky. Sora rose up on his feet as well, but instead of the sky, he focused on the car appearing behind Cloud's back. Sora's sky blue eyes widened and he quickly grabbed Cloud's hand and yanked him behind a large trash bin.

Sora placed his finger on his lips, signaling Cloud to be quiet. They watched as a black limousine drove past them.

"Do you think that he's still after us?" Sora asked and looked at Cloud. The said one shrugged his shoulders, but didn't say anything. Sora frowned deeply, "Maybe we should try to head back to Yuna's place. I think that he wouldn't dare to go there."

"I can't believe all of this is truly happening…" Cloud covered his mouth with his hand, as a sudden urge of throwing up overwhelmed him, "…I think I'm gonna…"

Sora gulped and patted Cloud's shoulder. He wasn't sure what he should have said. He was sure that his feelings were just as tangled up as Cloud's was. Sora had never meant to get Squall, much less Cloud, involved with any of his messes. He wondered if he had been ever given another choice. But when he thought back, he guessed not.

"Cloud…" Sora sighed, "…I'm so sorry. I… Because of me this all happened."

Cloud shook his head and wiped his, once again, teary eyes, "That's not true. We all knew what we were doing…" he explained, "…When we went to your place… there's no going back now…"

Sora smiled weakly. He didn't quite understand how Cloud could say such reassuring words, although he barely could stop crying. But instead of finding the strength to think positively, he stood up and offered his hand to Cloud.

"Let's go back home."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Riku ran through the neighborhood again. He hadn't seen a sight of Sora, nor anyone else.

He eventually reached Sora's place and saw that it was still on fire. Police cars, fire trucks and ambulances were parked in front of the mansion, and a good amount of people had gathered behind the fence to watch the enormous flames, which engulfed the building.

And Riku saw Yuna, Gippal, Baralai and Rikku standing in the first row, watching agape as the mansion slowly fell apart.

"Yuna!" Riku waved his hand at the brunette woman, as he ran to her. Yuna turned around swiftly, her eyes still wide open from shock. Riku couldn't help but let out a small chuckle at her reaction, "Sora's here too, isn't he?"

Yuna blinked her eyes and shook her head. She looked over at Rikku, who shrugged her shoulders. The brunette woman turned her attention back at the silver-haired boy, "Rikku told him to stay at my place. He isn't there?"

"…No." Riku shook his head slowly and his eyebrows furrowed, "…But why would he go anywhere?"

Rikku walked to Yuna's side and gave Riku a concerned look, "He couldn't be far, now could he? I mean, this place isn't that huge either…"

"But Sephiroth…" Yuna mumbled, as she glanced over her shoulder at the burning mansion, "…Sephiroth isn't here, is he? I wonder if… no, I don't think that he would go chase Sora around the town, now would he?"

Rikku was about to say 'yes he would', but when she noticed the suspicious expression on Riku's face, she shook her head, "I don't think so. Riku, I think you should go back home. We just came to look what the hell is going on in here…"

"That's right, Sephiroth…" Riku muttered and bowed his head down. Suddenly he just turned around and sped off to the direction where he had just come from.

"Riku, wait!" Yuna yelled after the teen, but he did no attempt to turn around. She shook her head weakly and looked at Rikku, "Let's go after him, before he does something stupid."

Rikku nodded her head and waved to Gippal and Baralai, who soon ran after them.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sora and Cloud tried to stay in shadows, as they carefully headed towards Yuna's place.

"It's only few blocks away now…" Cloud muttered, as he glanced his surroundings fervently, "…I guess Sephiroth decided to give up on us."

Sora frowned. He didn't agree with the blond, since he knew that if his father really wanted to get their lives, he would be able to do it. But instead of saying it out loud, he nodded hesitantly, "Uh, yeah… Let's still keep low profile."

Cloud grabbed Sora's hand and they kept running quietly.

"Sora!!"

Sora stopped running, forcing Cloud to stop as well. He looked at the direction where his name had been called and saw the familiar silver-haired boy. His expression brightened immediately and he tugged his hand away from Cloud's grasp.

"R-Riku!"

Sora had never felt as happy as he felt now. His heart felt like it skipped a beat, as he dashed towards Riku.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

When Riku was almost ready to give up, he spotted Sora and Cloud across a large street. He was so relieved that he could have just pounced on Sora and kiss the life out of the smaller boy. He had never even imagined that only seeing Sora again could make him this happy. Although everything about the little brunet made him happy, this moment was the happiest in his life.

He ran few more steps forward and waved his hand, "Sora!!"

Sora immediately turned to look at him. His eyes widened and a wide smile took over his features, "R-Riku!"

Riku saw Cloud letting go off of Sora's hand and the boy started running towards him. Riku smiled genuinely and waited for Sora to reach him.

But suddenly blinding white lights illuminated the brunet. Both Riku and Sora turned to look at a black limousine, which was driving towards the brunet. It was as if the bright highlights would have frozen Sora, because the only thing he could do was stare at the approaching car.

Riku's reflexes kicked in, as he dashed forward. He wasn't sure what he was about to do, as he grabbed Sora in his arms and tried to jump out of the car's way. But his body didn't allow him to move fast enough to dodge and he felt a hard blow on his back. He fell on the pavement beside the street, while still holding Sora to his chest.

The brunet, who had started screaming, held tighter on Riku. Sora closed his eyes and screamed some more, before finally pulling away from the silver-haired boy.

"Ri… Riku?!" Sora sat on his knees next to Riku, who lay on the asphalt. He grabbed Riku's hand and held it close to his chest.

Riku let out a small grunt, as his eyes desperately tried to focus on Sora, "Are you… alright?"

Sora nodded his head a couple of times.

"Good…" Riku smiled a little, before letting his eyelids fall over his eyes. Sora could feel his hand becoming numb and his chest stopped rising and falling.

"Riku?!" Sora asked frantically and grabbed the other teen's shoulders and shook him, "Riku!! Please, don't do this to me!!"

Cloud, who had watched the scene in front of him stepped backwards as he realized that the dark limousine had parked next to the pavement and Sephiroth stepped out of it. The blond glanced at Sora and Riku, then at Sephiroth again. He realized that he didn't really have any choice but to step in between them, although there was nothing he could do.

The blond tried to gather all of his courage, as he walked forward. This time he would be the one standing in Sephiroth's way.

"Oh, give me a break, boy." Sephiroth sighed, as he noticed Cloud blocking his way, "Don't you remember what happened last time when someone tried to stand in my way?"

Cloud gritted his teeth and shook his head, "No! You give me a break! Can't you just give up?! What do you think you'll accomplish by doing all of this?!"

If Sephiroth hadn't looked serious before, he did now. He took determined and long strides to Cloud, "I'm so sick of you and your attitude."

Cloud saw Sephiroth holding a wooden chest, but he didn't have time to wonder what it was, before he was thrown aside. He staggered for a moment, before he was able to reclaim his balance. He watched as Sephiroth walked to his son and lifted him from the ground.

Sora's eyes were wide from shock. He stared at his father's eyes, paralyzed to the spot. He was still crying and his legs were shaking so badly that if Sephiroth wasn't gripping his arm, he would have fallen right back to the ground.

"Look, Sora, what I brought with me." Sephiroth said and showed the chest to Sora, "I thought that you might want to be with her, as we leave this world together as a family."

Sora opened his mouth to say something, but all that escaped from his throat was a single sob.

"You don't have to worry Sora." Sephiroth gently brushed his palm against Sora's cheek, "This world's suffering won't bother you soon anymore."

"Stop it Sephiroth!!" Cloud screamed, "Let Sora go!!"

Sephiroth smirked, as he professionally ignored the blond one's screaming. He pushed the chest against Sora's chest, "Well? Don't you want to open your little present?"

Sora took the chest in his shaky hands and opened it slowly. The horrible stench coming from inside of it made him almost close it again, but Sephiroth squeezed his arm tighter. Eventually he was able to open the chest. Sephiroth's expression brightened.

Sora let out a loud scream and stared at the reddish thing inside of the box. It was a heart, which had been probably been in that chest for a long time, since it smelled so bad that it made Sora almost throw up. He dropped the chest, as his head suddenly started to spin.

"Didn't you like my present?" Sephiroth cackled, as he let go of Sora's arm and let his son fall on the ground, "Too bad. Because that's the only thing left of your mother now, since that little son of a bitch burned my house down. It's not beating anymore though, like it was when I tore it out of her chest."

As Sora's head hit the ground, his eyes fluttered shut and his consciousness slipped away.

By that time also Yuna, Rikku, Baralai and Gippal found their way to them. Rikku shrieked as she saw the tall silver-haired man, while Gippal and Baralai charged at him. Yuna ran to Riku's side and placed her two fingers on Riku's throat to check his pulse.

"Call the police!" Baralai yelled, while he and Gippal tackled Sephiroth.

Rikku nodded her head and took a small pink cell phone out of her pocket and dialed 911.

Cloud took staggering steps towards Sora and almost fell on his face, when he tried to stop walking. He bent down and examined the brunet, "…Sora…"

"Ha! Ain't so tough guy now, are ya?" Gippal spat, as he sat on Sephiroth's chest and ready to slam his fist on his face, "Serves you right bastard."

Sephiroth chuckled coldly, "Do you think that you can get rid off me that easily? I'll remember your face."

"You'd better." Gippal laughed madly, "'Cos if you ever get to see the daylight again, I'll make sure to smash it right outta you."

Baralai shook his head at Gippal. Then he looked around and the only thing he could see were sad faces. Yuna and Rikku were on both side of Riku, while Cloud was stroking Sora's head.

"I guess we were few steps too late." Baralai said quietly, mostly to himself, since he didn't expect Gippal to hear him. But the blond looked at him and frowned sadly, all of his indignation gone. Baralai sighed, "…And looks like we are missing more than two people."

Gippal looked around. He froze for a moment, before glancing around again.

"That's right." Sephiroth smirked, "Leon met a very unfortunate fate."

"That's Squall, you smartass!" Gippal yelled and smacked Sephiroth right across his face. He narrowed his eyes at the man beneath him, "And besides, you're lying. Squall wouldn't lose to lowlife like you."

Despite aching pain on his nose, Sephiroth laughed loudly, "Well if you don't believe my words, then go take a look yourself. He's probably still lying in that bathtub of that motel nearby here. In fact, I'd be more than happy if you went to clean up for me."

Baralai wrinkled his nose in disgust and turned around. He could hear Gippal's fist connecting with Sephiroth's face continuously.

The gray-haired man walked to the black limousine. He noticed that the driver's door was open and if the driver hadn't been Sephiroth himself, they would never see him again. As he kept approaching the car, he almost stumbled over something. He looked down and saw Sora's brown teddy bear lying abandoned on the ground.

Baralai kneeled down and picked Luca up. He stared at the ragged teddy bear's button eyes and said weakly, "…I thought you were supposed to take good care of Sora."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

_Riku opened his eyes and stood up from the ground. He glanced his surrounding and recognized the field where he and Sora had been one time. Fireflies flew around him, just like that time. The grass, which was just as long as it used to be, itched his ankles._

_He looked straight ahead and saw Sora standing there. But he wasn't alone. The brunet was staring at the people in front of him, who were all looking back at him, somewhat dully. Their expressions didn't change nor did they move._

"_Sora?" Riku called out the other one's name._

_Sora turned around and looked at the one who had just spoken his name. He tilted his head to his side a little and frowned, "Riku? Why are you here?"_

"_I was just about to ask you the same." Riku said back and glanced around a little bit more, "How did we end up in here anyway?"_

_Sora stared at his boyfriend and shook his head. This was his world, not Riku's._

"_Am I not supposed to be here?" Riku asked, as he noticed Sora's odd expression._

"_No. You don't belong here." Sora said and pointed his head with his finger, while stepping backwards, to deepen the distance between them and approaching the motionless people behind him, "…The only thing here can exist, are the people who were never supposed to die, but died anyway. Just like my mother. And just like you."_

"_Are you trying to say… that I'm dead and only an illusion of your imagination?" Riku frowned, as he tried to catch up with Sora._

"_Yeah. You're only an illusion that I created, so that you wouldn't go." The brunet explained and suddenly stopped his pacing, "But you can't exist in two places at the same time. It's all so clear now. Don't worry Riku, I'm not afraid anymore."_

_Riku reached out to Sora, but the brunet only got farther away, "What do you mean? What about you? And us? What about me?!"_

"_What about it?" Sora smiled his best smile, few tears rolling down his somewhat pale cheeks "It'll be alright, Riku. You won't forget me, right?"_

_The silver-haired boy stared at Sora, before shaking his head rapidly, "I'd never… But we'll always be together, won't we?"_

_Sora sighed and shrugged his shoulders. He spun around on his heels and sat down on the grass, as he fixed his eyes at the dead-like persons, "I wish. But maybe it's supposed to be this way. Maybe someone up there doesn't want us to be together."_

"_Hey, stop that!" Riku raised his voice, as he took long paces to Sora and looked down at him, "You're supposed to be the optimistic one, remember? Even though everyone always kept pushing you down, you never ceased to smile. Where's that Sora now?"_

_Sora's lips tugged upwards a little. He had almost already forgotten how persistent Riku could be, "Hmm, I wonder."_

_Riku arched his eyebrow at Sora's reply. He focused his eyes from Sora to the people in front of them. He could immediately recognize one of the women from a picture he had seen in Sora's room. Riku sat down beside Sora and said, "Your mother, huh?"_

"_Yeah." Sora nodded his head, "That's her. Isn't she pretty?"_

_Riku chuckled a little and replied casually, "Not as pretty as you are though."_

_A hint of blush gathered to Sora's cheek, as he turned his head away from the other one._

_Riku smiled, but his expression changed to confused when he noticed Squall standing few feet away from Sora's mother, "What's Squall doing here? Don't tell me that he…"_

"_Yeah, he's dead." Sora admitted quietly, "…And I… All these years, I kept shamelessly living, although I knew what Sephiroth had done. All this time, I knew that he was a murderer. But I never tried to stop him…"_

"_Well, he's your father after all, isn't he?" Riku reassured him with a small nod._

_Sora looked at Riku, although his cheeks were still red. He forced a smile on his lips, "Thank you Riku. For everything. Although I can ever thank you enough…"_

"_It's okay." Riku reached his arm around Sora and pulled him against his side, "We'll be okay from now on."_

_Sora closed his eyes and inhaled a deep breath of Riku's personal scent, "…I guess… Sephiroth's not in the picture anymore, so everything can continue the way it used to be."_

_Suddenly Riku started to feel oddly tired. Sora smiled, as he stood up._

"_What's this?" Riku asked, as he tried to get up, but couldn't. His limbs became numb and his mind started to get fuzzy, "Sora?"_

"_This is the time we say goodbye." Sora looked down at Riku, "Don't be sad, Riku. This is only a dream."_

_Riku tried to protest, but his voice was gone. With his last strength, he tried to push himself up from the ground, but nothing happened. His vision became darker and darker._

_The last thing he saw was a dark creature crawling out of the ground and standing up. The creature looked like Sora, although it was pitch black and its eyes were sickeningly yellowish. It hugged Sora from behind and said into his ear, "I told you, didn't I? Only I'd be here with you at the end."_

_Then Riku's world went black._

Riku opened his eyes and it felt as if his lungs were suddenly filled with air. He let out a deep breath, as he shot up and stared at a woman dressed in white in front of him. He gasped for a while and looked around, until he realized he was in an ambulance. It seemed as if the car was at its top speed and Riku was forced to lay back down.

"Are you alright?" The woman asked, as she placed her hand on Riku's temple, "Try not to move yourself, it will only make you feel dizzier."

Riku closed his eyes slowly, before opening them again and looking at the brown-haired woman, "Who are you? And what happened?"

"My name is Lucrecia and we're taking you to a hospital." Lucrecia explained reassuringly, her voice soft and calming, "You were in an accident. And at first I was almost ready to announce your death. But I'm glad that you survived after all."

Riku nodded his head weakly and closed his eyes again.

"Aren't you going to ask about your friend?" Lucrecia asked quizzically.

"No. I saw a dream." Riku said, "He will be alright."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Hospital's corridors had never been so quiet. They were all sitting there, neither one of them making an eye contact.

Riku, who had survived only with few scratches and mild concussion, was sitting there as well. He examined his hand, which had a dark bruise on it. The damage done to him was nothing compared to the damage done to Sora.

Lucrecia, who was currently checking on Sora, hadn't let anyone in his room yet. When Yuna had tried to ask her what Sora's current state was, she had only shaken her head and sighed deeply.

Riku bit his lip. He hadn't even dared to look Cloud in his eyes, since he knew that the blond was fighting a mental breakdown. He tried to look strong, but his eyes gave him away. He wasn't any stronger than Riku or anyone in the whole world.

Gippal grunted loudly and everyone except for Riku turned to look at him.

"I can't take this anymore." He stood up and kicked the chair he had been sitting on, "I'll be going home. Tell Sora that when he comes home, I'll bake him cookies."

Gippal walked away loudly. Baralai sighed and stood up as well, "Remember to bring Sora back safely… Now if you'll excuse us…" But before he had taken more than few steps away, he turned back around, "Oh right, I almost forgot."

He paced to Riku and gave him Sora's teddy bear, which he had been holding for a while, "I found this near Sephiroth's car. I thought that you should give it to Sora."

Riku took the brown and ragged teddy and nodded his head. Baralai gave him one last smile, before leaving.

As the two men had left, Yuna rolled her eyes tiredly and leaned her head on Rikku's shoulder, "I can't believe they're making us wait this long…"

"Yeah." Rikku agreed and yawned widely.

Riku leaned the back of his head on a cold cement wall. His eyes were unfocused and fingers cold. He knew that Sora would survive. No one could take him away from him, after every thing that they had conquered together. It would be just plain unfair.

A sound of door opening made everyone look up. Lucrecia came out of Sora's room, her glance nervously wandering around the hallway and hands clutching on a notepad.

"How's he?" Riku asked immediately as he jumped to his feet and walked towards the doctor, "He is alright, isn't he?"

Lucrecia looked at the silver-haired teen and gave a painful smile, "…When a person encounters a traumatic experience that could endanger his or her mental health, the person's subconscious might protect them by making them forget."

"So Sora has some kind of trauma now?" Riku lifted his eyebrow and was almost ready to let out a sigh of relief.

"Yes, that's what we are assuming." Lucrecia said weakly, "…But…"

Yuna stepped next to Riku, "…It's not just that, is it?"

"No." The brown-haired doctor said in defeat, "One can only guess what really happened to him. It seems that… his subconscious has taken over his whole mind. We aren't sure whether he can hear us or not, but it seems as if his whole consciousness was dead."

Yuna gaped for a moment, before clearing her throat, "…So he is…"

Lucrecia nodded her head, "I'm sorry."

Riku pushed past Lucrecia and stepped into Sora's room. The first thing he saw was a pale brown-haired boy lying on the hospital bed, who was only remnant of what Sora used to be. His eyes were wide open and they were staring at the ceiling and a horrified expression was written all over his face. Riku's heart twitched and he walked next to the bed.

"…S-Sora?" Riku asked unsurely as he grabbed the boy's hand.

Sora's head fell lifelessly to his side and his eyes locked at Riku's. The horrified expression turned into a smile. Riku could only frown sadly at the empty look on the other one's face.

"I promised you that we'd be okay from now on." Riku said, the corners of his eyes filling with tears. He placed Luca next to Sora, before gently caressing his face, "C'mon, open your eyes."

Yuna, Rikku and Cloud entered the room as well. All of them froze as they saw Sora. That was enough to drive Cloud over the edge, and the blond sat down in the farthest corners and buried his head in his hands. Rikku went after him, upon realizing that she wouldn't stand much longer either.

Yuna gulped, "Riku…"

Riku looked weakly over his shoulder, "…He will wake up, won't he?"

The brunette woman didn't know whether she should tell him the truth or not. But after pondering for a while, she decided that truth might be better than waiting forever, "I don't think he will."

Riku nodded his head and pulled out a small stool underneath the bed. He sat down and gently let go of Sora's hand. To avoid mindless sobbing, he pushed his palms against his eyes and tried to breath steadily. He didn't want to make a scene, although his mind felt like exploding. Too many thoughts were running through his mind.

What if he had done something differently? Maybe if he had never met Sora, the things would have never turned out the way they did. Or maybe they would have, but at least he would have spared himself from all this pain. Although it might be worth it, he would never be able to forget, much less forgive himself.

"The only thing I wanted was a happy ending…" Riku said, while pressing his palms harder against his eyes, "…But… after all… I couldn't even save Sora."

Yuna's eyes were gazing emptily at the floor. She didn't know what to say. They all had lost something equally valuable tonight. She looked at Cloud, who was still crying in the farthest corner. Rikku tried to calm him down, but no words could make his sobs cease. Even the blonde girl had tears rolling down from her eyes.

But then she looked at Sora, who was lying on the bed, staring straight at Riku and smiling. It was as if staring at a lifeless puppet, who was completely oblivious of what was happening around him. Yuna sighed heavily and said, "Riku… I think that Sora was saved. The place his mind is now, is hopefully a brighter place than this world."

Riku looked at the brunet boy. He frowned deeply at the melancholic, yet empty smile on the boy's lips. Riku stood up and shook his head, "Can you call this a salvation?! Sora doesn't speak, cry or laugh. He will never ask me to hold him or blush when I kiss him. He will never again say 'I love you' or cry over the stupidest things."

Yuna opened her mouth to counter Riku's remark, but was silenced when the silver-haired boy gave him a spiteful look.

"The Sora I knew…" Riku said, his voice much quieter now. He had started walking towards the door, but before exiting the room, he finished his sentence, "…No longer exists here."

-end.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-  
_Ending Notes_

And so, this story concludes. I hope you all enjoyed reading it. My thanks goes to Someday Eternity, who enlightened me about psychology, Aeroblast, who helped me whenever I had writer's block and, of course, to my most dearest readers.

Thank you all and before you ask, there won't be a sequel.


End file.
